Iron Vulture
by James7912b
Summary: The story of how Don Karnage acquired his flagship and started the dreaded Air Pirates. This story is more or less a war/thriller story than as a true Talespin style story.
1. Prologue

"_And listens like a three years' child: The Mariner hath his will"-Samuel Taylor Coleridge_

"Hey Jock, I have a question for you," Kit said to the scruffy engineer. Kit was inside the engine room of the _Iron Vulture _assisting Jock with some routine engine maintenance that the engineer was conducting.

"What is it mon garcon?" asked the terrier.

"Where did the _Iron Vulture _come from? I mean Don Karnage didn't build it did he?" asked Kit.

"Ha, Don Karnage build anything? Never. He got her the old fashioned way. He stole her," answered the engineer with a smile.

"Who did he steal her from? Usland? Thembria?" Kit asked.

"No, neither. He stole it from Reichland. Of course Usland and Thembria had been working on their own but none had ever entered service," said Jock.

"Why not?" asked Kit.

"The Great War ended before anyone could use them. This one was slated for the scrap heap after the war and notre capitaine stole it before it could get there," said Jock.

"When was that, right after the War?" Kit asked.

"Oui, it was 1919 and right after the Mersailles Treaty was signed," the engineer paused for a moment and then looked at Kit with a smile, "Would you like to listen to a story mon ami?"

"That'd be swell," said Kit who sat on a stair step and put his chin in his hand.

"Well, it was in late August of 1919, the 24th if I remember correctly…" started Jock.

"You were there?" asked Kit with amazement.

"Who did you think got him aboard?" said Jock with a wink.


	2. A Stupendous Idea

"_Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes"-Napoleon Hill_

_Darnstadt, Reichland 24 August 1919-_

"It's cramped in here. I can hardly breathe!" said the stocky gray dog.

"Gibber, Silence! We are trying to be the sneaky-types!" said Don Karnage.

"Oops sorry boss. I was just commenting on how cramped…" Gibber said.

"Gibber! Will you shut up? I don't feel like getting caught!" said a tall and skinny weasel named Shifty.

Gibber shut his mouth after receiving a jab to the gut by Karnage. The 19 year old wolf and his four partners in crime sat inside a large crate that was waiting to be loaded into the bay of the _Eisengeier. _

The immense 1,500 foot long airship sat alongside its sister-ship the _Schwarzeralder_ on the Darnstadt airfield. Both airships were being prepped for their journey to Gaul where, under the directives of the recently signed Mersailles Treaty would be dismantled. The scrap metal would then be given to the Gauls as part of war reparations.

The two majestic aircraft had been built in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the war back in Reichland's favor. Unfortunately they had been built too late and only succeeded in bankrupting Reichland. Now they were being loaded with armaments, airplanes, ammunition, and other war-related material to be given to Gaul. The aircraft was also being manned by an all Gaulish crew. This was a slap in the face to the Reichlanders: Their two war machines were having foreign crews on their maiden voyage.

"How much longer do you think it'll be boss?" whispered a large jaguar named Hernando.

"It should be a few minutes mi amigo," answered Karnage.

"Bueno," replied the accented jaguar.

"How come Hernando can talk but I have to keep quiet?" asked Gibber.

"Because you are always talking too loud!" hissed Shifty.

"Hey guys, there's some ground crew heading this way and they have chains," came a squeaky, cracking voice from above.

Perched atop Hernando's large shoulders and looking out of a small hole was the quintet's youngest and smallest member, a 13 year old wolf cub. The youngster had shown up one day in late 1917 at the airfield in which Karnage and his squadron of volunteer pilots had been based at. The then 11 year old boy had sat near the pilots for a few days watching them and had lived off of handouts from the fliers. The runaway had been suffering from malnourishment and had taken to working odd jobs for the squadron in return for food and a roof over his head. Within a few days the young boy had climbed onto a damaged biplane, grabbed a nearby ratchet and set to work fixing it. The pilots sat and watched and were surprised that the youngster had fixed the plane with relative ease. The boy quickly developed a reputation as an ace mechanic and was soon made the squadron's mechanical specialist as well as being bestowed with the nickname Ratchet.

"Ratchet, how far are they?" asked Karnage.

"They're almost on us boss, shhhh, quiet everybody!" whispered the boy.

The five of them quieted down and lay on the floor as the work-crew secured the crate with chains and proceeded to lift it by crane onto a flatbed truck which took it into the hangar bay of the air carrier where it was offloaded.

Inside the cramped crate, Karnage lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 5:45 a.m. They had until 7:00 p.m. until liftoff. They would have to hide out for over 13 hours. He looked at his fellow pilots and saw that they were in the process of drifting off into sleep. Karnage put his arms behind his head, closed his eyes, and thought back to the day he made his decision to embark on a life of crime.

_The Western Front, November 11__th__ 1918, 1153 hours-_

"OK, peace is boring," said the 19 year old Don Karnage.

"Boss, the war hasn't even been over for an hour yet. Give peace a chance," piped in Shifty.

"Give peace a chance! Who ever came up with that is an ignoramus! I, Don Karnage, live for battle. Up until 11 a.m. I, which is me, led a squadron of fierce pilots. Now we are told the fighting has stopped and The Kaiser has abdicated. This is unsatisfactory to me."

"The boss has a point you know, now we will be out of work," added Hernando.

Shifty blinked in surprise as this sunk in, then he said, "Well, we could volunteer to fly for someone else, or we can go into business as pilots."

"We just fought a war and now you suggest we volunteer to fly for someone else? I'm sure the Allies would just love to have us fly for them," Gibber said sarcastically to the weasel.

Karnage stood there watching his pilots as they discussed what they were going to do now that the war ended. Some said they were going back to their homes, others would strike out on their own as pilots, and a few supported violating the Armistice. He had other ideas however.

"Gentelmens please, you will give me your attention," said Karnage as he climbed onto the wing of his biplane. "I have an idea that some of you may find very interesting."

"What is it Capt'n," asked Hernando.

"What is the one thing that boys want to be when they grow up?" Karnage asked.

The assembled pilots looked around at each other in uncertainty. They thought hard about what their squadron leader had asked as if he had asked him what the square root of 162 was.

"A fireman boss?" said a stork named Leon.

"No," answered Karnage.

"Uh, a cowboy?" said a monkey called Shivers.

"Guess again," replied Karnage.

"Oh, oh, I got it! I got it! A policeman!" shouted a less-than-bright bear nicknamed Air Bear.

"You!" Karnage shouted as he pointed to Air Bear, "Slap yourself!"

"Yes boss," said the bear who then swatted himself across the face.

"What about an astronomer? My parents said I should be an astronomer," said a small hyena named Dexter.

"You! Go and slap your parents!" shouted Karnage. "Am I the only one with any clue around here? The only one with a vision? Didn't any of you ever want to be pirates?"

"Actually, I always wanted to be an accountant," said a little dog called Numbers.

"Idiots! I am surrounded by idiots. We should be pirates! Pirates! Pirates! Pirates!" shouted Karnage as he jumped off of his plane and strutted around the others. "We can take what we want when we want. We won't follow any rules or obey any insignificant laws! We will plunder riches beyond my wildest dreams! We will terrorize people and we will take their valuable knickity-knacks! I, your brave leader, will lead us!"

The pilots were silent for a few moments, then the Shivers spoke up, "Don't we need a boat or something boss?"

"And a hideout?" asked Numbers.

"Aren't pirates in the ocean?" asked the Air Bear.

"Let's just say that I may know of a hideout in the ocean," said Karnage cryptically. He thought to himself, _I may have some trouble flying a plane from off of a pirate ship though._

_Later that night-_

For the first time in over 4 years, all was quiet on the battlefield. After years of fighting, the soldiers sat idle. Many didn't know what to do or how to act. There were still sentries and look outs on duty, but most just sat around waiting for further orders. It was the same 200 yards away at the Gaulish lines. Over there the Gauls were acting in much the same way as the Reichlanders.

In the hanger on the small airfield, Don Karnage sat with Gibber. As loud and grating as Gibber was, Karnage valued his opinions. The 22 year old Gibber was actually a bright person who had many ideas. However, his ideas were usually swiped by Karnage who would then take the credit. Now for once the wolf had his own original idea.

"Gibber, my loyal minion, I have a stupendous idea for all of us," he proclaimed.

"Is this that pirate thing you were talking about?" asked Gibber.

"Yes. There is pirate in my blood Gibber. My father and grandfather sailed together as pirates before I was born. They were very successful, but they were finally vanquished in a valiant effort to raid Cape Suzette. They used to tell me stories of their exploits and now I, Don Karnage, will continue my noble lineage of piracy!" said Karnage.

"But Boss, we're pilots, not pirates," said Gibber.

"Why can't I be an air pirate," asked Karnage.

"Air pirate?" said Gibber questioningly.

"Yes! I shall be the first of the Air Pirates! We will steal our planes and make our way to Pirate Island and from there I will become the greatest pirate in the world!" said Karnage manically.

"Well then, we are going to need a big boat that can have planes take off and land on," said Gibber, "Or we can get something else. ..if it exists."

"If what exists?" asked the wolf.

"Just a rumor I heard from my cousin about something," said Gibber.

"What something?" prodded Karnage.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, I hardly believe it," said Gibber.

"Go on," said Karnage.

"OK, he said he was part of a work crew that was building a couple of huge vessels with a bunch of prisoners of war as slave labor," answered Gibber.

"Hmmmm, huge vessels? Boats?" asked Karnage.

"Nope. This is where it gets unbelievable," Gibber said, "My cousin called them Air Carriers."

_November 12__th__, 1918-_

"Guten morgen, Herr Karnage," came a sophisticated, accented voice.

Karnage looked up from the desk he had been sitting at and came face to face with Lieutenant Heinz Jager. The tall wolf stood in the doorway to Karnage's small office and looked at him with emotionless eyes.

"Ah, Herr Jager what brings you to my humble office?" Karnage asked coldly as he appraised his rival.

"Guess who has the last recorded kill in the Air Corps?" said Jager with a smile of self-satisfaction brightening his emotionless face.

"You?" Karnage said indignantly as he rose from his chair, "How? When?"

"I shot down a Gaulish Spaad fighter at 5 minutes before the cease-fire," Jager said proudly, knowing that Karnage would be infuriated.

_Blast you Jager! You think you are the best, but I, Don Karnage, do not think that! _

"Well if I was in the air at the time, then I would've gotten two kills," Karnage said.

"You've always enjoyed talking about yourself haven't you?" asked Jager critically.

"Look at you Jager, you with your fancy-type uniform and your spit-shined boots. You flaunt yourself too," retorted Karnage.

"We both do. I only wish to look as great as I am," said Jager as he touched the Knight's Cross that hung around his neck, "I bring credit upon the Fatherland, whereas you and your little band of misfits look like typical unrefined slobs. All accept you of course. You do take pride in your appearance."

"They may be slobs, but they are my slobs! And one day soon Jager, I and my noble pilots will be the most feared men in the skies!" said Karnage.

Jager laughed and said, "I admit that you and your men are very effective, but your planes belong to Reichland so you'll have to give them back."

"You mean they _did _belong to Reichland. Now they belong to Gaul," sneered Karnage.

"How dare you! You petty mercenary! You have no loyalty to anything except your own ego! Why we even allowed you and your foreign rabble to fly for us is beyond me," snapped Jager.

"My ego and my foreign rabble were noble enough to answer you country's call for help Jager," shouted an irate Karnage.

The Reichlander let loose a barrage of curses in his native tongue and said, "You take back what you said about us needing your help! My country was better off without you!"

"Really? And whose squadron contributed many kills for your country hmmmm? It was I and my rabble yes no?" said Karnage.

"For too long I have put up with you and your over sized ego Karnage. Take my advice: Get out of Reichland," said Jager.

"I will get out of your country Heinzy because I have no time for the sore loser types," retorted Karnage.

That did it. Jager launched himself at Karnage. He collided with him and knocked him to the floor. Karnage rolled to his side and threw Jager off of him, then stood up and received a fist to his face. Jager swung again and hit Karnage in the right shoulder. Karnage avoided a third punch and landed his own blow on the side of Jager's head. He then brought his knee up into Jager's gut, causing him to double over. Jager managed to wrap his arms around Karnage's waist and lift him up and slam him onto his desk.

Karnage's pilots rushed in along with a squad of Reichlander troops and they stopped before the desk and watched as the two pilots traded blows with one another. Don Karnage punched Jager in the nose and managed to push Jager off of him. He then swung again but had his strike blocked by Jager. The Reichlander lashed out with a foot to Karnage's thigh and then a blow to his chest. As Karnage fell he kicked out and caught Jager in the ankle, causing him to go down with a howl.

BANG!

Everyone froze as the sound of gunfire echoed through the hangar.

"Vas ist das?" shouted a tall and muscular bear that was accompanied by a young staff officer. The staff officer had his smoking pistol still leveled at the ceiling. The bear motioned for the young officer to re-holster his pistol, then he spoke, "What are you two dummkopfts doing? You are acting like a pair of kinder! Both of you, report to my office immediately." The large bear turned to a sergeant and said, "You and your men escort these two to my office personally."

"Ja Herr Oberst von Baer," answered the sergeant.

With that, the two pilots were led away.

Five minutes later the two pilots were standing at attention in front of Colonel Georg von Baer. The imposing bear sat in his chair and glowered at his two young pilots.

"Both of you have disgraced yourselves before our men through your actions. You were acting like two squabbling children. We just fought a war against our enemies and now you want to turn your own petty rivalry into the next war. This is unacceptable," said von Baer who then opened up a manila folder. "Ahem, by orders of the High Command, all pilots and their planes are to be flown a minimum of 50 kilometers from the front. All foreign fighters are to be removed from their service obligations and may leave Reichland."

The two pilots looked at their commanding officer and let these words sink in.

Jager thought: _I cannot believe we are actually going to abide by this farce of an armistice. Our leaders have betrayed us! We still control occupied land and have the means to continue fighting. And now they want us to leave the front and give up our planes! How dare they do this to us!_

Karnage thought: _Good! Now I can get on to better things. I will take my noble pilots and we will become pirates! I will find these air carriers that Gibber told me about and then I will steal them and proceed to plunder my way to greatness!_

"In two days you will both take your squadrons to the aerodrome at Hidelburg. Jager you are being assigned as my aide. Karnage, you and your people will be free to leave after you return your planes," said von Baer who continued, "And Karnage, if you or any of your pilots even attempt to fly off with our planes I will have you shot out of the sky. Do I make myself clear?"

"Si colonel," said Karnage. _I wouldn't waste my energy on your planes colonel, not when there is a bigger prize to take!_

_Hidelburg Air Field, November 15__th__, 1918-_

"This is loco boss, us no having a job after all this time," said Hernando as he and his fellow pilots left the hangar and their planes behind.

"Si, this is very crazy my faithful wingman. However I, your fearless leader have a plan that will make me and us rich!" said Don Karnage.

"Is this that deal that you and Gibber talked about?" asked Shifty in his nervous-sounding voice.

"It is. But first we must leave Reichland before things get worse," said Karnage.

"It's already getting bad out there boss," Gibber said loudly. "It'd be smart if we headed out of here. I was thinking somewhere near the beach, somewhere say like the Isle of Sardines!"

"Gibber! Do you have to talk so loud? We're not deaf! We can hear you!" said Shifty angrily.

"I'm sorry pal, but my voice carries," said Gibber.

"No kidding!" replied Shifty.

"The Isle of Sardines would be good me thinks. Of course Liguria is an Allied nation so perhaps we shall stay in Suisseland," said Karnage, "That would be a close enough place from which to launch my great plan."

"What makes you think it's a great plan?" asked Shifty.

"Because you ignoramus! I thought of it. Have you no faith in your very intelligent leader?" Karnage snapped.

"Well then boss, who's going along with you, aside from us?" asked Hernando.

This was a good question. Since the volunteer squadron had been disbanded earlier in the day, several of Karnage's pilots had made the decision to go their own ways. Air Bear and Shivers had decided to become part of the Black Market and peddle goods to the desperate. Leon was getting ready to go back to his home and had bid farewell to his fellow pilots. Dexter was planning on going to Liguria and taking a ship back home. As for Numbers, the little dog made up his mind to pursue his interest in math and become an accountant back in his home country.

"No one my dear Hernando, no one." was Karnage's reply.

Suddenly Ratchet appeared at Karnage's side and tugged on his arm. Karnage looked down to the coverall wearing wolf cub and said, "What is it Ratchet?"

"I'll go with you boss!" the cub said excitedly.

Karnage smiled and said, "See my fellow pilots, our other squadron members have abandoned us," Karnage put his hand on the boys head and continued, "But this boy wishes to stay on."

"Can I boss?" asked the bright-eyed cub.

"My boy, I wish you could but where we are going and what we will be doing will be far away and dangerous. It is time for you to go home," said Karnage.

Tears welled up in the cub's eyes and he turned and walked away, "I ain't gotta home," he said under his breath.

"Geez boss, the kid's got nowhere to go," said Gibber.

Ratchet spun around, clenched his fists, and said, "I thought we were a squadron. I was a volunteer just like the rest of em'. The others left but I'm still here! I got no family, I got nowhere else to go. I'm an orphan, what am I supposed to do? If you're going to go off and be some sort of flying pirate, then yer gonna need the best mechanic around!"

Karnage stood and appraised the young wolf. It was true about him being the best mechanic. The boy had a habit of fixing everything and anything. He had worked hard, modified the squadron's planes, and never once complained. He was absolutely loyal to his adoptive squadron. Finally Karnage said, "Very well then Ratchet. You are now my pirate crew's youngest member."


	3. Getting Even

"_To betray, you must first belong"-Harold Philby_

_Darnstadt, Reichland 24 August 1919 1800 hours-_

Karnage and his four partners in crime were wide awake and awaiting the 1900 liftoff time of the _Eisengeier. _They lay in their crate as quiet as could be. They were all well rested and were confident that they would be able to enact their plan within an hour of the airship's departure.

_La Petite Taverne, the Village of Gavreaux, Gaul 15 June 1919 2030 hours-_

Don Karnage entered the small but quaint tavern and looked around for his contact. After having Gibber meet with his cousin Friedrich, he had been given directions to the little tavern that lay on the border of Gaul and Suisseland. He scanned the dimly lit and crowded establishment and finally noticed a little dog reading a newspaper and sitting at a table in a dimly lit corner.

He made his way to the table and gave the password in a phrase, "How is the _potato _soup here?"

The small terrier stared at the newspaper in his hands and said, "It is good, but I recommend the _garden _salad as an appetizer."

Karnage took a seat at the table and said, "I am Karnage."

"I know," answered the small, dark gray terrier as he put his paper down, "I am Jacques."

"Jock?" said Karnage.

"No. Jacques," replied the dog.

"Jock, correct? Yes no?" said Karnage.

"Non, it is Jacques," said the dog.

"It sounds like Jock," said Karnage.

"It is Jacques," said the Gaulish terrier. He said it like 'Zhacques'.

"It sounds like Jock to me," answered Karnage.

The terrier figured he was getting nowhere with the wolf and left it at that, "I heard you're in the market for a 'ship'."

"Correctamundo my friend, I am told you have the, how would you say, inside track on something I may want," Karnage said slyly.

"Tell me mon ami, what is it you want?" asked Jock.

"You know what I want," replied Karnage.

"It is dangerous," said Jock plainly.

"I have nothing to lose and everything to gain," replied Karnage.

The terrier smiled, lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said, "What we are talking about, they are complex machines. You will need someone who knows them."

"I suppose that would be you, but why exactly do you want to be with us hmmmmm?" asked Karnage.

Jock took a long drag then said, "I joined the Air Corps in 1914, it was the patriotic thing to do. I knew aircraft and I did my job well. I learned how to operate the airships that my country developed. I was held in high regards by my superiors. In 1917, the base I was at was attacked and I saved the lives of several men. The war ended and lo and behold, my government decides that they want to build a new factory…on the farm that my family has had for generations. They force my family off our land and give us next to nothing! All in the name of the Republic! My family was left with hardly anything!" Jock, let out a string of curses, calmed himself, then said," You are not the only one who has nothing to lose and everything to gain mon ami."

Karnage realized what the terrier was saying; _He wants to be a part of my pirates! A person who knows the insides and outs of these air carriers would be very valuable to I._

"My noble friend, I thinks you may have a bright future with I," said Karnage who continued, "Now I am told that you are scheduled to be a crewman for the maiden flight?"

"Oui," answered Jock.

Karnage smiled and said, "Then mi amigo, let me buy you a drink."

_The Village of Gavreaux, Gaul 18 June 1919-_

"So you say there will be a small crew my new friend?" asked Don Karnage to the scruffy terrier.

"Oui, there will be 8 including myself in the engine room and propulsion, 5 on the bridge and radio room, and 5 on security," said Jock.

"Hmmmm," Karnage said as he stroked his chin, "That is 18. I will only have 5."

"The five on security will be the only ones to worry about. Everyone else will be unarmed, seeing as the government isn't viewing this as a dangerous mission," said Jock.

"Still my little-type friend, I am not entirely sold on the feasibility of this," said Karnage.

Jock smiled and said, "Do not worry Monsieur Karnage, the purpose of all of us meeting is to iron out the plan."

Karnage and his men had met the small terrier at a deserted warehouse that was on the outskirts of the village. They were a stone's throw away from the Gaul/Suisseland border and were confident that they were safe from prying eyes.

Inside the warehouse, the six conspirators sat at an old table in order to brainstorm their mission.

"Boss, if this guy is right and there are only five security guards, then they should be no problem. They won't expect us to be aboard," said Shifty.

"But how are we gonna get aboard?" asked Hernando.

"That will be no problem mon ami," said Jock, "There are a lot of crates and equipment that will be loaded on board. All we have to do is get you inside a big enough crate and voila!"

"He's right. My cousin was working on the aircarriers at one time and he mentioned that there were a lot of boxes and crates at the airfield," said Gibber.

"What else is going aboard?" asked Hernando.

"Military equipment, supplies, weapons, ammunition, even planes. Anything that is now being turned over to the Allies," answered Jock.

"What kind of planes?" asked Karnage.

"CT-37s," replied Jock.

"Ahhhh, the newest planes! Unfortunately for Reichland, they never got to use them," said Karnage with obvious glee. "Now with the getting aboard taken care of, we shall move to the meat and potatoes of my plan, yes no?"

"An hour or so after takeoff you should get yourselves out of the box and split up. Half of you go to the engine room and the other half head for the radio room. Disable the radios and then take the bridge," suggested Jock.

"What about you?" asked Shifty.

"I will be there, just don't shoot anyone in there," said Jock.

"Why is that?" asked Gibber.

"They are men that I know. This is my one condition: No one in the engine room crew gets hurt. Once we take the ship we let them go," said Jock.

"Then who's going to operate the engine room?" asked Ratchet.

Jock looked at the youngster and said, "All you need is me."

"Very well then Jock, you have my word of honor that your engine crew will be freed. However everyone else is fair game," said Karnage as he pulled a knife from his belt and cleaned his claws.

An hour later, the plan was completed: The day the aircarrier was scheduled to depart, Jock would have Karnage and his men sneak into a crate so they could be loaded into the ship. They would have their own weapons with them as well anything else they needed for the hijacking. Once the ship was airborne, the hijackers would emerge, split up and head for the engine room and radio room. Jock would pretend to be another hostage and would do as the hijackers told him until they were ready to release the engine room crew. Once the radio was disabled, Karnage would storm the bridge, take the bridge crew hostage, and then get onto the intercom and demand that the roving security detail surrender themselves in exchange for the hostage's lives. They would then alter their course to take them over the sea and away from Gaul and leave the captured crew on a remote part of the Isle of Sardines. From there they would fly over the Sandharan Desert, across eastern Afrika, and then onto the ocean toward their destination of Pirate Island. In Karnage's mind the plan was flawless.

_Darnstadt, Reichland 24 August 1919 1855 hours-_

Colonel von Baer watched as the Gaulish crew of the _Eisengeier _closed the beak-like ramp and switched on the aircarrier's engines. Anger filled him as the ship prepared for its maiden voyage to Gaul.

"We have been betrayed, betrayed by our own leaders," he said.

"Sir, the Gauls are requesting permission to take off," said a skinny daschund lieutenant.

"Tell them," he paused, _I should deny them permission. That would really anger them. Then I can have them boarded by our troops. Wouldn't that be nice? _"Tell them they have permission."

The daschund looked at his superior and realized that he was pained to issue the order. After all, Baer was supposed to be the vessel's commanding officer. "Ja Herr mein oberst" said the lieutenant.

Slowly the huge ship lifted off of the ground and rose into the darkening sky.

_Aboard the Eisengeier-_

"Capitaine, we have received permission to take off," said the skinny duck Lieutenant to the ship's captain."

"Bien Lieutenant Remillard, inform the engine room that they may start the turbines," said Captain Rouen.

"Oui Capitaine," answered who then picked up a handset and called down to the engine room."

"Oui monsieur, we shall start the turbines," said Jock to the officer, "OK gentlemen, we have the go-ahead. Fire up the turbines and let us get this girl off the ground."

The chief flight engineer watched as his crew powered up the turbines to full power. The turbines were separate from the engine and were used to drive the large propellers that rose from the aircarrier's top. Once the turbines reached an appropriate level of power, the men on the bridge would be able to take the ship up off the ground.

"Monsieur, we are reaching full power," said a sheep technician to the chief engineer.

"Bien," replied Jock as he reached for his handset to give word to the officers on the bridge, he then glanced at his watch. It was 1858. Within an hour Karnage and his men would make their move. He hoped that the wolf and his men would keep their word and leave his crew unharmed. _Soon I am going to be getting even with the government for how they've treated my family! They think they can do as they please! But soon I will show them never to betray their own people! I will show them what betrayal really is!_

Inside the crate Don Karnage and his men heard the ship's engine come to life. They looked expectantly at one another.

"BOSS THE ENGINE'S HAVE STARTED!" yelled Gibber.

Instantly Hernando covered Gibber's mouth and whispered angrily, "Gibber Shut up! They may have people wandering around in here. We don't want to get caught."

Gibber pushed Hernando's hand away and said quietly, "Oops, sorry."

"You better be quiet Gibber before those Gauls make you quiet!" said Shifty threateningly.

"Gentlemens, save your aggressions for the crew. Soon we will spring my trap!" said Karnage with relish.

"Boss, we got about an hour till Showtime," said Shifty.

"Good I can hardly wait" said Karnage who then looked over at Ratchet, "Well my boy, are you hardly waiting?"

"I been hardly waiting!" said the teenage wolf cub in his squeaky voice.

Karnage and the others heard the cub's voice crack as he said this and laughed.

Suddenly the five of them felt the aircarrier rise off of the ground.


	4. Zero Hour

"_Terrorists always have the advantage of surprise"-Gijs de Vries-_

Col. Von Baer watched as the _Eisengeier _rose from the ground and ascended into the darkening sky. Anger filled his heart as the ship that was supposed to be his left with its foreign crew.

"I should order it shot down. It would be better than to see it in the hands of our enemies," he said.

"Sir, I am sure that Hauptmann Jager would support you," said the daschund lieutenant.

Col. Von Baer smiled at the thought. The loyal Jager had received a promotion and was now serving at an airfield to the south where he was busy preparing his planes to be turned over to the Allies. Soon he and Jager would be out of a job.

_Aboard the Eisengeier-_

"Capitaine Rouen sir, I bet the Reichlanders are crying their eyes out right about now," said Lieutenant Remillard.

The Badger captain smiled and said, "It serves them right for the war."

"Sir, at this speed we should reach our destination in three hours," said the pig navigator.

"Bien, the sooner we leave this God-forsaken country with its God-forsaken food the better!" said the captain.

_The Cargo Hold_

Down in the immense cargo hold, Karnage and his men waited. They were getting impatient and cramped in their box. It was now a quarter after 1900 and they still had another 45 minutes until they would make their move.

"I hate waiting!" Gibber said quietly.

"Wow Gibber, you didn't yell that," said Ratchet sarcastically.

"Pipe down you little pipsqueak!" retorted Gibber.

"Hypocrite," replied Ratchet.

The others chuckled at the little exchange between the two.

"I say we should do this now Boss," said Hernando.

"Tired of waiting my large friend?" asked Karnage.

"I think we all are," replied the jaguar.

Karnage debated springing the attack early. _We could launch my plan now, but we are still over Reichland airspace. Better to wait until we are farther along._

_The Engine Room-_

Jock looked at his watch: 1922 hours. There were still 38 minutes until Karnage and his men made their move.

"Counting the minutes until we get back home Chief?" asked a brown cat named Francois.

"Uh, oui Francois. I can hardly wait," stammered Jock.

"I bet, you keep looking at your watch mon ami," said the cat jovially.

_I'd better stop doing that! I can't have them suspect. _Jock thought to himself.

_The Cargo Hold-_

The Gaulish soldier entered the gigantic cargo hold via the catwalk that spanned its length and proceeded down the stairs toward the floor. This was by far the bulldog's easiest duty. He was used to fighting at the front and now he was stuck flying in a gigantic aircraft back to his home. He hated the brief time he spent in Reichland and was looking forward to heading back to Gaul. His partner on the patrol had decided to split off from him and look for something decent to eat. Their guard officer wouldn't mind. After all there was no threat from Reichland anymore. No threat whatsoever.

"Hey amigos, there's a guard approaching!" whispered Hernando.

Karnage instinctively reached for the sword at his waist while the others gripped their rifles.

The squat bulldog guard was alone and was casually walking among the crates. The blue-uniform wearing security man carried a rifle over his left shoulder and had a belt around his waist that held his ammunition. He was an easy target.

"We should get him now, that way we'd have one less to worry about!" said Karnage.

"He's moving away from us so he may not hear us get out of the box," said Shifty.

Karnage gave his men the go ahead to get out of the box then turned to Ratchet.

Ratchet tiptoed among the crates and other equipment as he searched for the lone guard. He peeked around the crates and finally spotted him. The guard was sitting down on a crate and was in the process of drinking from his canteen. Now all he had to do was get his attention.

The soldier took a long drink from his canteen and then let out a yawn. He was tired and bored. Having to walk around this ship on guard was the most pointless mission ever. There were no Reichlanders here so why couldn't he just lounge around as opposed to this? Just then he thought he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He looked to his right but didn't see anything.

"Must be my imagination," he said.

Ratchet peeked his head over a crate once more to look at the guard. He then let out a little cough to get the guard's attention.

"What was that?" said the guard as he turned his head in the direction of what he thought was a cough. "Who's there? Which one of you fools are trying to be funny?" He asked, thinking that one of his fellow guards was playing a prank. Suddenly he saw a small face peek over a crate and then quickly go back down. "Hey! Who is that?" The guard jumped up and ran over to the crate. There was nothing there. "OK, who is the wise guy that is playing the joke?"

Ratchet had ducked and crawled away as soon as the guard saw him. Now he was hiding on top off a tall crate that was a few feet away from the guard.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…" taunted the guard. All of a sudden he saw a blur of movement. A figure moved on the top of a crate. He raised his rifle and beheld the source of the noise: A small wolf cub in a pair of coveralls with a green scarf around his neck, and a cap on his head peered down at him. "A stowaway! Get down here you little hooligan!"

The little cub rolled to his left and fell off of the crate to the floor where he took off at a sprint.

"Get back here!" shouted the guard who took off after him. "Just wait 'till I get you boy! The capitaine will have me throw you in the brig and you can stay there until we reach Gaul!"

Ratchet ran for his life as the gun-toting guard followed hot in his heels. He was worried that the guard would fire his weapon or do something else to attract the attention of his fellow guards. If he did, then they would lose the element of surprise.

The guard chased after the running boy and watched as he darted between another row of boxes. "I'm gonna get you boy!" he roared, but as he said this the boy continued to evade him. The little rascal scampered quickly among the rows of crates. He saw the boy disappear down one row and then appear in a different row near him. It seemed as if the boy was taunting him. _Think you can fool me? We'll see who the fool is once I get my hands on you! _

Ratchet watched as the guard turned the corner and confronted him in a narrow passageway that had no outlet.

"I've got you now kid!" said the guard threateningly. The boy stood with his back against the wall with a smile on his face. "Why are you smiling brat?"

The boy laughed and pointed at something behind the guard. The guard turned around…straight into Hernando's large fist. The punch connected with the guard's face sending him falling back. He landed on his back with a thud. The jaguar then reached down and tore the rifle from the unconscious guard's grip, "Good job mi Niño!" he said.

The wolf cub just smiled.

Shifty and Gibber grabbed the guard by his ankles and dragged him toward their crate where they hog-tied him and stuffed a rag in his mouth. Karnage looked at his watch: It was now 1840-twenty minutes to go.

_The Bridge-_

"Sir, we have received the latest weather reports from HQ," said the leopard radio operator over the intercom.

Captaine Rouen grabbed his handset and said, "How is the weather looking?"

"We have a storm front approximately 120 kilometers at a heading of 283 degrees northwest. There is thunder and hail. It is a typical summer storm sir," answered the radio operator.

"Very well then," Rouen said as he put the handset down. He looked to his navigator and said, "Put us on a course that will skirt the storm front."

"Oui Capitaine, that may cause us to be off schedule," said the navigator.

"I do not care, I am retiring soon. What are they going to do? Fire me?" said Rouen with a grin.

The navigator returned his superior's grin and set about updating the aircarrier's course.

_The Engine Room-_

"Chief, the bridge was just on the line. We are going to be delayed getting home. There is a storm front we are trying to avoid," said Francois.

"Thank you for the information mon ami," said Jock. _This may be good; Karnage and his men may have more time to pull this off._

_The Cargo Hold-_

"I am going to ask you some questions and you will answer I. Do you understand yes no?" said Don Karnage to the guard, "I will remove your gag, but if you shout or do anything less than intelligent then my large friend will deal with you," he said as he nodded in the direction of Hernando.

The hulking jaguar cracked his knuckles and smiled.

Karnage pulled the gag out of the guard's mouth and asked his first question. "How many guards are on this ship?"

"Way more than you can handle!" said the guard defiantly.

"Once again: How many guards are on this ship?" Karnage asked nonchalantly.

"Two dozen, all heavily armed, and they don't like hijackers!" said the guard.

"I know for a fact that there is less than that my tied-up friend. Now you will please stop being the deceiving type and tell me where they are or Hernando will do bad things to your face," said Karnage.

The guard glanced toward the jaguar and saw that he had pulled a big hunting knife out and twirled it around. He gulped and said, "Look, we are just wandering around on a roving patrol. They could be anywhere."

"Why were you alone?" asked Karnage.

"Because, who'd have thought that we'd be hijacked?" said the bulldog guard.

"Hmmmm, this could be a problem Hernando. We must make our move and be with the quickness, otherwise we may run into the other guards," said Karnage.

"It is almost time Boss," said the accented Jaguar.

Karnage glanced at his watch: 1850. "Ten minutoes until magic time!" he said.

_Darnstadt, Reichland, 1953 hours-_

"Oberst Von Baer, we just picked up a transmission from the _Eisengeier. _They are changing their course in order to skirt a storm front," said a wolf radio operator.

"What is their projected course?" asked the bear colonel.

"It will take them south toward the sea and then west toward Gaul sir, near the Mannheim Aerodrome," answered the radio operator.

"That's where Jager is. Sergeant, contact Mannheim and have them inform Jager that the _Eisengeier _is heading his way," ordered Von Baer.

"Ja herr," replied the sergeant as he grabbed his headset to relay the message.

_Mannheim Aerodrome, Reichland 1956 hours-_

Captain Heinz Jager listened to the report from Darnstadt with interest. The _Eisengeier _was heading his way. "How much longer until it reaches our airspace?" he asked.

"At their present speed, 30-35 minutes sir," said his flight controller who added, "They will travel along the Suisseland and Ligurian borders and then briefly go over the coast before they head northwest to their destination.

"About how long will they be over the coast do you think lieutenant?" he asked

"Not long sir, perhaps 15 to 20 minutes at most," answered the wolfhound lieutenant.

"That's long enough for them to have major engine failure and crash into the sea," said Jager with a sly smile.

"Sir, you are not thinking of going up and intercepting them are you?" asked the bewildered wolfhound.

Jager grinned a sinister grin, "Trust me , I am tempted. Besides, in a few months you and I will be out of a job.

The wolfhound's jaw dropped, "But we can't…"

Jager cut his flight controller off, "I am joking Lieutenant Volke. I would need orders from higher."

The lieutenant smiled nervously at the air ace and quickly looked away. _Knowing Jager I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to do something irrational!_

_The Bridge, 1958 hours-_

"In a few weeks I will be retired and I can spend all of my free time fishing in the country side. How does that sound Remillard?" asked Captain Rouen.

"It sounds very nice Capitaine," said the duck that still had another two years left in the Air Service, "I am looking forward to a new assignment."

"Do not worry about it. I will put in a good word to higher and find you a much better position mon ami," said Rouen.

"Merci Capitaine," said Remillard. The lieutenant then directed his attention to the storm clouds that were ahead. Lightning flashed across the distant storm front and thunder cracked across the sky. "We should just miss the storm by about 5 kilometers Capitaine."

"Good, I do not feel like dealing with any risks or unforeseen developments on this flight," said the badger captain as he sat back in his chair and watched the lightning in front of the ship.

_The Cargo Hold, 1959 hours-_

With the bulldog guard gagged again and hidden away in the crate, Karnage took one last look at his men in order to see that they were ready. All were armed, even the boy who had the guard's sidearm tucked away in a pocket in his coveralls. Karnage and the others each had a rifle and a couple of hand grenades. In addition, Karnage has his sword hanging from his waist. Satisfied that his brave men were ready, he glanced at his watch: He watched as the seconds ticked down to Zero Hour; _five, four, three, two, one. _When the second hand hit twelve he looked up, smiled, and said, "Its Showtime!"


	5. Taking the Eisengeier

"_Take what you can, when you can"-Paul Shenar_

_The Engine Room, 2000 hours-_

Jock looked at his wristwatch and saw the time: 8 p.m. or 2000 for all the military-types. "Well they must be moving," he said quietly.

"What was that you said Chief?" asked Francois. The smiling cat had come up besides Jock right as he had spoken to himself.

"Oh, I said we must be moving away from the storm by now," he said quickly.

"I think they are taking us toward the coast. If you ask me, they should land us at Monte Cardo so we can celebrate at the Casino!" said the cat.

"That would be nice mon ami, but I do not think that is in the plan," said Jock.

"Too bad, I'll just wait until I take my leave and go there with the wife," said Francois who added, "Or maybe I should leave her in Pairee and go by myself!"

Jock laughed and then turned his attention to the engine's main instrument panel, failing to notice the sly grin that crossed the cat's face.

_The Cargo Hold, 2000-_

As soon as Karnage said 'Showtime' his men were off: Shifty, Hernando, and Ratchet headed off for the engine room while Karnage and Gibber made for the radio room and bridge area. They had a layout of the aircarrier which Jock had procured for them before they even boarded the ship. The hijackers familiarized themselves with the ship's layout and were thus able to negotiate the various corridors and levels to reach their destinations.

As they headed up the stairs to the top level of the cargo hold, Karnage said to Gibber, "Now my loyal friend, before you start talking loudly, you must shut your mouth okiedokey?"

"When can I talk loud boss?" said Gibber in a low voice.

"Once we have disabled the radios and stormed the bridge you can yell your head off," said Karnage.

Unlike Karnage and Gibber, Hernando and his two hijackers stuck to the floor level of the gigantic cargo hold and trotted along its floor toward the rear of the ship. Once there they would descend a flight of stairs and come to the engine room.

"Are we really gonna spare the engine room guys Hernando?" asked Shifty.

"Karnage gave his word to that Gaul and we're going to stick to it," replied Hernando.

"What if they get stupid? Then what?" asked Shifty.

"The boss didn't say anything about tying them up at gunpoint amigo," said Hernando.

_The Engine Room-_

Jock was feeling nervous. He was shaking with anticipation of what was coming and he was having a tough time controlling it. He had already gone through several cups of coffee which didn't help his nerves at all. He just hoped that his excitement wasn't showing.

"Chief, I think we've got to hand it to the Reichlanders; they sure did an excellent job with this ship. Their engine design and power output are better than what we put in our aircarrier," said the sheep technician named Bouchard.

"Yes, I can see that the _Eisengeier _would have outclassed _Le Terrure," _said Jock speaking of the nearly completed Gaul Air Corps aircarrier. Unfortunately for _Le Terrure _it was slated to be dismantled so the steel could be used to construct a new line of forts that would span Gaul's border with Reichland. It was said that the proposed line of forts would be impregnable and could repel any invasion attempt.

Francois approached the two and said humorously, "Not looking at your watch every five seconds Chief?"

"No, no I am not," Jock answered.

"Bouchard, ever since we took off, the Chief here had been looking at his watch like he was worried or waiting. It was funny how he kept glancing at it," said Francois.

"I am just anxious to get home is all," said Jock.

"Going back to that farm of yours?" asked Francois.

"Well there is the harvest coming up so I need to be there," said Jock.

"Hmmm, I thought you were selling the farm to the government," said Francois nonchalantly.

"Well the government is letting my family harvest one more crop before we're moved out and I am hoping to be able to help them," said Jock. _Francois sure is nosey!_

"Well I am anxious to get home too," said Francois who added, "The wife has been nagging me for a vacation." With that the cat bounded down the stairs toward engine Number 2, never noticing that he, Jock, and Bouchard we're being watched.

_The Galley-_

The weasel guard sat at the table eating from a tin of Reichland Army rations. The food was disgusting, but he was starving. He had left his bulldog partner almost 45 minutes earlier in search of something decent to eat and these rations were the only food in the ship's galley.

"These barbarians cannot cook! They're food is like slop, uncivilized people," declared the guard as he tossed a metal container onto the floor.

Karnage heard the sound of something hitting the floor and instinctively put a hand to Gibber's mouth, "Nod if you heard that," said the wolf.

Gibber nodded.

"We must be quiet. I think that there is someone in the galley. We shall be sneaky-types and get him," said Karnage.

"I think we should avoid shooting him boss, just in case there's another one around here," said Gibber.

"Good idea my friend, I will go in first and turn out the light and sneak up on him," said Karnage, "He may think that there is a power surge."

"Great idea boss," said Gibber.

"Great ideas," said Karnage, "Are the only ones I have."

_The Galley-_

The guard picked his teeth with a toothpick and debated eating another of the disgusting military rations. _No wonder Reichlanders sound so angry when they talk. If I ate this slop everyday I'd be angry too!_

As he finished this thought the lights in the galley went out.

"What the… must be a power surge," said the guard.

Then a sound caught his ear: footsteps. It sounded like someone was sneaking up on him. It must be his partner Ducet. The bulldog was probably trying to play some sort of prank on him. _Trying to be funny Ducet? We'll see who's funny when I shine my light in your eyes and throw this 'food' at you._

Karnage tip-toed his way closer to where the guard sat. It seemed a little strange that the guard hadn't said a word or made any other noise. _Did the guard fall asleep? What is he doi-, "_Argh!" Karnage shouted as bright light flashed into his eyes. Then something gloopy hit him in the face.

"Gotcha Ducet!" cried the guard, but before he could celebrate his little prank on his partner, the lights came on and he found himself face to face with a sword-wielding wolf.

_The Corridors-_

While the guard was staring at Don Karnage's sword, Hernando and his two companions were walking rapidly toward the engine room. Ratchet held the map and navigated their way through the superstructure.

"How much farther along Ratchet," asked Shifty.

"From the looks of it, about 30 meters," answered the teen.

"Good, my legs are getting tired. This ship is way too big," said the weasel.

"We'd better be quiet," said Hernando who then stopped the group and said, "Let's get inside one of these doors and go over the engine room plan."

_The Galley-_

"How dare you throw food at I! Do you not know who I am?" asked an enraged Don Karnage who had food dripping from his face.

The guard blinked and prepared himself to reach for his sidearm but then thought twice as a squat, gray dog leveled a rifle at his head.

"If I were you, I'd slowly take out the pistol and place it on the table by your rifle and then lay down on the floor," said the dog.

The guard spoke; "Whoever you are, you have no chance of hijacking this ship."

"Do not be the brave-type my prisoner. Do as my friend says and I will not harm you…" said Karnage who added, "Much. You threw this nasty-type food at me and I shall have to punished you."

"If you think you can get away with this, then you're wrong. There are too many of us aboard for you to take this ship," said the guard.

Karnage wiped the food from his face and said, "There are 18 of you onboard this ship: 5 on the bridge, 8 in the engine room, and 5 guards, one of which has been taken care of."

The guard blinked in shock: _How could he have known how many of us are onboard? That's classified information! He couldn't have known, unless someone told him…there's a traitor aboard!_

"You may be thinking how I know these things. Let's just say that I have insider information," said Karnage.

_So there is a traitor!, _The guard thought to himself. Slowly he pulled his pistol from its holster and placed it on the table. He saw the rifle carrying dog slowly lower his weapon and with a sudden movement, he lunged across the table and collided with the dog.

_The Corridors-_

"OK here's the deal, Ratchet is gonna run in and pretend he's a stowaway like he did with the guard. He'll distract the crew and then we'll just walk in and take the place over," said Hernando.

"Is that it?" asked Shifty, "That's the plan? I figured the plan would be a little more in-depth."

"What? You don't like my plan?" glowered Hernando.

Shifty gulped as he saw the mean look form on the big jaguar's face and said, "It's short and sweet and to the point."

"I thought so," said the jaguar.

_The Galley-_

Karnage watched as the guard jumped across the table and into Gibber. The two went to the floor and began struggling for control of Gibber's rifle. Gibber managed to roll to his side and throw the guard off of him. The guard saw his own rifle on the floor and crawled for it. Suddenly the sword blade appeared in front of his face and he was forced to stop inches from his goal.

"Ah-ah-ah," taunted the wolf, "You are being a naughty guard, therefore we will have to tie you up and gag you."

The next thing the guard knew he was being bound by the gray dog.

Karnage had Gibber bind and gag the guard and then secure a rope on him that served as a leash. The guard would now serve as a shield for when they reached the bridge.

_The Engine Room-_

Bouchard was just getting ready to head to the galley on his break when he saw a blur of motion speed into the engine room. The blur turned out to be a small wolf cub in a pair of coveralls. The cub ran into the room, past Bouchard, and down the stairs.

"Hey, there's some kid on here!" yelled the sheep.

"Kid what kid?" asked Francois.

"Hey he went this way," said a dog named Toulon who pointed down another stairwell.

"It would appear we have a stowaway aboard," said Francois who glanced at Jock and smiled.

Jock took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was coming. "Francois let's get a man or two to get that kid."

Ratchet wanted to get cornered he just had to make sure that he climbed up above his pursuers. Once safely above them he'd give the signal to Shifty and Hernando.

The two crewmen chased after the wolf cub and saw that he was climbing up a ladder that led to a catwalk.

"Hey kid, go ahead and climb, but you're not going to get away," said one of the crewmen.

Ratchet stopped climbing, looked down at his pursuers, and reached into a pocket. He withdrew a whistle and blew on it as loud as he could.

Outside the engine room, Shifty and Hernando heard the shrill sound of Ratchet blowing on his whistle.

"That's the signal Shifty! Vamos!" yelled Hernando. The two clutched their rifles tightly and ran toward the engine room.

_Near the Bridge-_

Karnage prodded the bound guard with his sword as they made their way to the bridge.

"Boss, you think Hernando and the others have gotten to the engine room yet?" asked Gibber.

"They had better or else things may get, how do you say? Dicey," said Karnage.

Gibber glanced down at the map of the ship and said, "We're almost there. It should be another 50 or so feet, then a left, and then another 50 feet or so."

Karnage poked the guard in the back and said, "Lead the way my friend."

_The Engine Room-_

As soon as the boy blew his whistle Jock backed away from the door and moved next to a large pipe that led out of the Number 1 Engine and into a wall. No sooner had he done this then Karnage's other two men came charging into the engine room.

"Everybody down, don't do anything stupid!" shouted the large jaguar named Hernando.

The skinny weasel called Shifty came in next and bounded down the stairs and took up a position that blocked off the engine room crew's escape route. Both of them had their rifles drawn and were moving them around in front of the crew members.

Jock looked around and saw his crew frozen in shock at the realization that they were being hijacked.

"Chief, we're in trouble," said Francois matter-of-factly.

"How'd I do?" said Ratchet as he slid down the ladder he was on, climbed over some equipment, and came to Shifty's side.

"Good kid, really good," said Shifty.

"You people are disgusting! Using a kid as a pawn is lower than low," shouted Jock.

Hernando looked at the scruffy terrier and thought to himself, _He's a smart guy acting all shocked about this in order to cover his involvement._

"You'll never get away with this!" shouted Bouchard who instantly earned the attention of Hernando and his rifle which caused him to back down.

"Oye! Listen people: Everyone here get in a line and walk out behind me. Don't try anything loco or my compadres will shoot you in the back, comprende?" said Hernando.

"If we all leave, then who's going to mind the engine?" asked Francois.

"Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. We'll send _someone back _later to take care of it," said Hernando, "Now chop-chop, let's go!"

With that, the engine room crew filed out and headed for the Bridge unaware that further surprises were coming.

_Outside the Radio Room-_

Karnage, Gibber, and their captive guard stood outside of the radio room. Karnage had decided to go in alone and have Gibber use the guard as a shield in case any other guards came upon them. Speed and violence were essential in taking the radio room as was stealth. Karnage couldn't risk the people down the hall in the bridge hearing what was going on.

"Gibber, if anyone tries to be sneaky, use the guard as a shield okey-dokey?" said Karnage.

"Sure thing!" Gibber said loudly.

"Keep quiet you ignoramus or else you'll give me away!" hissed Karnage.

Gibber obeyed and watched as his boss stood next to the door and turned the knob.

_Inside the Radio Room-_

Corporal Montclair sat at his desk reading a mystery novel while keeping an ear out for any transmissions. He was tasked with monitoring the radios and keeping in touch with the Air Corps by giving periodic reports. His most recent report had been given 5 minutes earlier and he was due another for 25 minutes. He let out a yawn and then saw the door to the room fly open. Standing in the doorway was a tall wolf who brandished a sword and had a rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Kindly back away from the radio, radio operator-type person," said the wolf.

Instantly Montclair reached for the radio and keyed the mike and shouted, "MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! This is the _Eisengeier, _we are being Hijac-," was all he got out before Karnage slammed the hilt of the sword upside his head.

Karnage watched as the radio operator slumped to the floor. He poked his head outside and said to Gibber, "We must take the bridge now! The radio guy may have gotten a transmission out!"

_Mannheim Aerodrome, Reichland-_

Private Hummel sat straight up as he heard the brief transmission from the _Eisengeier. "_I think the _Eisengeier _is being hijacked!" he said.

"Vas?" said Volke, "What did you just say?"

Hummel recounted the transmission he had heard to his superior and then quickly surmised the aircarrier's estimated position. "They are just south of us sir."

"Hummel continue to monitor the air waves. I am going to go and get Hauptmann Jager," Said Volke as he jogged out of the room.

_Cote de Azur Airfield, Gaul-_

A little over 100 miles away, Hummel's Gaulish counterpart heard the same distress signal from the _Eisengeier. _"Capitaine Sarveaux, I have received a distress call from the _Eisengeier. _They are being hijacked!" said Private Delacroix.

"Huh?!" came the reply from the boar captain, "Are you sure that's what was said?"

"Oui Capitaine. They said they were being hijacked and then the transmission was cut off," said Delacroix.

"I'm getting Colonel Chartrand on the line. I want to get some planes in the air," said Sarveaux as he grabbed the phone to call his commanding officer.

_The Central Corridor-_

Hernando, Shifty, and Ratchet marched their captives down the main walkway that spanned the aircarrier's top level to their destination: The Bridge.

"Hopefully the boss has taken the radio and bridge," said Shifty.

"He'd better, otherwise we're in a bind," said Ratchet.

"We should be there in a minute or two," said Hernando, "Let's just hope Karnage has done his part.

As the three hijackers spoke someone was getting ready to make their move.

_The Bridge-_

Captain Rouen was shocked by the sight that greeted him as the bridge door opened. He found himself staring at a bound and gagged guard. Over the guard's shoulder was a rifle that was pointing at his head. He backed up and watched as a gray dog and a tall wolf entered.

"Greeting my new captives it is I the ace of the skies, Don Karnage!" said the wolf.

"Who?" asked the incredulous captain.

"I said I am Don Karnage!" shouted the wolf obviously annoyed that someone didn't know who he was, "I am taking over this ship!"

"Hijackers!" shouted the head of the 5 person guard detail assigned to the ship. He had been making his rounds while looking for two of his guards when he decided to stop at the bridge. The lieutenant quickly sized up the situation and reached for his sidearm.

_Outside the Bridge- _

Hernando, his men, and the 8 engine crewmen had finally reached the bridge and stormed into the room, pushing passed Gibber in the process.

_Mannheim Aerodrome, Reichland-_

Captain Jager walked up to the brand new CT-37 fighter, jumped in, and fired up the engine. He had two of his men going up with him to intercept the _Eisengeier. _When Volke had informed him of the hijacking he felt elated. He was going to get a chance to make sure that the ship stayed out of the hands of the Gauls. He'd rather see it crash into the sea than be turned into scrap for the enemy. He ignored Volke's protestations about going after the aircarrier without authorization, but gave the order that Col Von Baer was to be notified once he was in the air. He received clearance to take off and in a matter of seconds he and his two pilots were airborne.

_The Bridge-_

The first thing Hernando saw when he entered the bridge was Don Karnage standing with his sword in hand. The second thing he saw was a blue uniformed guard swinging a pistol up in the direction of Karnage. "BOSS GET DOWN!" He yelled.

Karnage heard Hernando yell for him to get down and he immediately noticed why: a guard was raising a pistol toward him. In a flash, Karnage dropped to a knee and swung his cutlass toward the guard. The weapon flew out of his hands in the direction of the guard who dove to the floor to avoid the blade. Instantly pandemonium erupted.

"Men get control of the situation!" roared Karnage who grabbed his rifle and fired a shot into the floor. The bullet hit a mere inch from . "How do you like them mangos?" Karnage said to the guard officer.

Gibber and Hernando swung their rifles back and forth at the bridge crew to ensure that no one else tried anything crazy.

"Like I said before I was most rudely interrupted, I am Don Karnage and I am taking over this ship!" said the wolf.

"You'll never get away with this!" said Captain Rouen.

"Want to bet on it?" replied Karnage.

"Boss, I got this guys weapon," said Hernando who waved 's weapon in the air.

"Good. Now get these hostage-types and take them to the brig," said Karnage.

"How did you get onboard?" asked Rouen.

A voice from out in the corridor answered: "They had help. There is a traitor onboard."

"Who said that?" replied Karnage and Rouen in unison.

"This guy said it!" said Ratchet as he led Francois the engine crewman inside the bridge. The rest of the engine room crew followed by Shifty entered in after him and soon the bridge was crowded with the ship's entire crew minus the two guards and unconscious radio operator.

"Who is the traitor!" roared Rouen.

"Why it is someone we all know and trust mon Capitaine," said Francois who then pointed into the crowd, "It is _him."_

_Darnstadt, Reichland-_

"What do you mean the _Eisengeier _has been hijacked? And who gave Jager authorization to go after it?" said an irate Col. Von Baer.

"Um, uh, Oberst Von Baer, I ah," stammered Volke.

"Spit it out!" Von Baer yelled into the phone.

"We monitored a transmission from the ship that said it was being hijacked and then Jager jumped into a CT-37 and took two other with him. I don't think he wants it to fall into the wrong hands sir. I think he wants to shoot it down," said Volke.

Von Baer took a deep breath then said, "Very well, keep me informed." He hung up on Volke and thought to himself, _I'm glad Jager is doing this. This way I can just say he did it on his own and I won't be responsible for shooting the ship down. But how on Earth are three planes going to down a 1,500 foot long aircarrier?_

_Heading toward the Eisengeier-_

As Von Baer was wondering how Jager planned to shoot down the aircarrier, Jager and his men were closing in on their target. As for how to shoot it down: Jager knew there was one way and that was to destroy the bridge. He planned to strafe the bridge and kill the crew. Without anyone at the controls, the ship would crash. He rather that happen then see the _Eisengeier _used by the enemy.

_Cote de Azure Airfield, Gaul-_

"You have my permission to deploy the _entire _squadron Captain Sarveaux," said the colonel who had just arrived at the airfield.

"Oui Colonel," said Sarveaux.

Within a few minutes 24 pilots would be heading to their Spaad fighters to intercept the _Eisengeier._

_The Bridge-_

Silence filled the cabin as everyone focused their attention on where Francois was pointing. The silence was followed by murmurs of 'traitor' from the crew.

"How…why?" asked Bouchard.

"You? But you're-no it couldn't be you, why?" asked Rouen.

Jock stared into the eyes of Francois and said, "How did you know?"

"You gave yourself up when you kept looking at your watch. You were waiting for something, that's how I knew," said the cat.

"Who are you?" asked Jock.

Francois let out a laugh and said, "Just someone who noticed a traitor."

"Jock, why?" asked Bouchard who ignored what Francois had just said.

"Yes Jock, tell everyone why you betrayed your country!" shouted Francois with glee.

Jock took a deep breath and said, "I betrayed my country just like it betrayed my family, by taking from it. The government took my family's farm away and gave us hardly anything so now I am helping to take this away."

The crew members looked at one another and then at Francois.

"Francois, how did you notice him?" asked .

The cat smiled his usual jovial smile and said, "Because it is my job."

"You're a secret agent?" asked Karnage with uncertainty.

"Someone catches on quick," said Francois.

"Gibber, get him!" Karnage ordered.

The squat dog moved toward the smiling Francois.

What happened next happened so quickly that no one realized what was going on until Gibber was on the floor. As he approached the secret agent he had his rifle torn from his grasp by a member of the engine room crew. The lynx moved so quickly that Gibber didn't have time to react. The lynx slammed the butt stock of the rifle into Gibber's throat with such force that the dog dropped to his knees and fell to the floor. The lynx then dropped to the floor and fired the rifle at Karnage.

Don Karnage felt something sting him in the upper right arm. He was too busy paying attention to Gibber falling than to the lynx that fired the rifle. A split second after the lynx fired, the sound of the rifle firing registered.

"NO ONE MOVE!" Yelled Francois, "OR ELSE YOUR LEADER GETS IT!"

Karnage's men were frozen, waiting for their leader to make the next move. Karnage just stood there as stiff as a board. The only person who was moving was Ratchet who ran to Gibber's side and attempted to help the fallen hijacker.

"Boss, Gibber's choking!" said the boy.

That snapped Karnage out of his shock and he took a step toward Gibber and Ratchet.

"Do not move or else that will be the last thing you do!" threatened the lynx.

"Bien Thibodaux, bien," said Francois who continued, "If you are a hijacker then I encourage you to drop your weapons and give up or your leader will suffer the consequences. Now I am sure you are wondering who I and Thibodaux really are. We are military intelligence agents and we were assigned as undercover crew members to safeguard this ship against any hijackers," the cat paused, turned to Jock and added, "And _traitors._"

"Boss Gibber's hurt real bad he-," was all Ratchet could get out before he was silenced.

"Be quiet brat! Or you can choke alongside him!" said Thibodaux who now stood and continued to keep Karnage in his sights.

Francois produced a pistol from his coveralls and said, "If you ever hijack another ship you may want to frisk your captives first."

By now the guard officer had recovered his pistol from Hernando and grabbed the intercom mike. "Attention all guards, report to the bridge immediately."

"It looks like your hijacking has failed Don Garbage," said Francois.

"My name is Don Karnage!" shouted the enraged wolf.

Francois laughed and said, " Dartan, get to the radio room and report that all the hijackers have been eliminated," and with that Francois cocked the hammer of the pistol and put Karnage in his sights.

_Approaching the Eisengeier-_

Jager and his two pilots raced their planes at full speed of 200 mph. The CT-37s were faster than any previous aircraft and were a testament to Reichlander mechanical ingenuity.

Jager grabbed his hand mike and said, "Once we have the _Eisengeier _in our sites you will not fire until I fire, do you understand? Over."

"Roger," came the reply from both pilots.

_Cote de Azure Airfield, Gaul-_

Captain Miclette jumped into his Spaad fighter and grabbed his radio mike, "Tower, this is Captain Miclette requesting permission to takeoff."

"Permission granted," came the reply from Chartrand.

Miclette drove his plane forward and sped down the runway. He ascended into the sky and circled the airfield as the rest of his squadron took off.

_The Bridge-_

Just as Francois was getting ready to pull the trigger, he felt a searing blow to his wrist. He dropped the gun which discharged harmlessly into the wall. He clutched his hand and looked down into the eyes of the teenage wolf cub. The boy had slammed a pistol of his own into his wrist and was now holding that pistol at him.

Thibodaux swung his weapon toward Karnage but was too slow. Karnage brought his sword up and knocked the rifle out of his hand. It went sailing through the air and landed at the feet of one of the engine room crewmen, a dog named Etienne.

Dartan who had been about to take Hernando and Shifty's weapons from them suddenly ducked as he heard Francois' pistol fire. He immediately received a butt stock to his face which sent him sprawling. Shifty ran to the fallen officer and took his pistol from him.

Etienne picked up the weapon and pointed at Karnage.

"Shoot him!" bellowed Captain Rouen.

Once again everyone on the Bridge froze in anticipation.

Finally Karnage spoke, "Look, this is getting tiring for me, either you shoot me or you join me, make your choice engine room guy."

Etienne's finger pulled slightly back on the trigger, then relaxed, and lowered the weapon.

"What are you doing?" screamed the captain.

"You know something everyone?" said Etienne, "Jock isn't the only one who has lost something to the government. My family owns an inn not too far from the front which we've had since I was a little boy. Now we are being moved out to make way for a new series of forts and just like Jock's family, mine is getting hardly anything for it." Etienne looked at Karnage and said, "Does your crew have room for one more?"

Captain Rouen's jaw practically hit the floor and Francois' eyes widened in shock.

Karnage looked at Etienne and said, "Welcome aboard my friend."

By this time Gibber had began to breathe easier and was helped into a sitting position by Ratchet who held him up with one hand while keeping the gun held on Francois with the other. Gibber was in intense pain and could barely breathe.

"Gibber my loyal friend, are you OK?" asked a concerned Karnage.

Gibber tried to speak but barely a whisper escaped his lips.

"I don't think he can talk anymore Boss," said Ratchet in a cracking voice that sounded like he would start crying at any minute.

"Wow, I was only kidding about the Gauls making him quiet," said Shifty guiltily as he remembered what he had told the loud dog.

Furious, Don Karnage strode to Thibodaux and smacked him across the face. "That was for my wing man!" Karnage then addressed the assembled, "This is your new Captain, Don Karnage speaking to you with my voice. You now have a choice: you can either get dropped off on the Isle of Sardines or you can join me!"

Out of the crew, three others stepped forward to join Karnage. A cheetah named Niemens, a stork named Guernon, and the pig bridge crewman named Declerc. The rest were then herded to the brig.

"What about the two other guards? That guard officer ordered them back here," said Hernando.

"Ambush them," was Karnage's reply. The wolf sat then down in the captain's chair and lorded over his prize. _All mine for the taking. Now no one can stop me, World, get ready for the Great Don Karnage!_


	6. Air Wolves

"_If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught, but fly to meet it"-Oswald Boelcke_

_Approaching the Eisengeier-_

"I have informed Oberst Von Baer about your mission sir," said Volke over the radio.

"Good," replied Jager. The wolf was pleased that no countermanding order came from his superior which meant that he had free reign to do as he pleased. He knew that if the _Eisengeier _was downed, then the Reichland government would deny official involvement and say that a renegade pilot had shot it down. Jager smiled at this and thought to himself, _What is the worse the government is going to do to me? Fire me? _A moment after he thought this, the _Eisengeier _came into view. Jager took the lead and prepared to fire.

_The Bridge-_

Just as Hernando, Shifty, and the side-switching crewmembers were getting ready to round up the rest of the crew and take them to the brig, the tide turned once more. Ratchet had returned his attention to Gibber, long enough for Francois to act. The cat moved like lightning and grabbed Ratchet's wrist and twisted it hard enough to break it. The cub let out a yelp of pain and lost his grip on his pistol. The pistol fell into Francois' other hand and in an instant he had the boy in a headlock with the pistol to his head.

"Surrender Karnage or you'll have the boy's death on your conscious!" said Francois with maniacal glee.

Karnage stood up from the captain's chair and froze. The others focused their attention on Francois and the boy and stood still, unsure of what to do next.

"Thibodaux, take that rifle back from Etienne. Dartan, get your pistol back," said Francois who then surveyed the group. His two cohorts grabbed their weapons back and took up positions on either side of him and faced off against Karnage and the others.

Karnage looked at the three Gauls who stood with their backs to the bridge's main window and felt his blood-pressure rise. "How dare you threaten the boy!"

"You used this boy to take this ship, so do not even think of lecturing me Karnage," said Francois who then squeezed Ratchet's broken wrist. The cub let out a whimper of pain and tears filled his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.

"Francois, don't hurt the boy. Please let him go," pleaded Jock.

"Shut up traitor or you'll be the first one to die," threatened Francois, "Gentlemen, lets rid ourselves of these hijackers and their betrayer friends once and for all shall we?"

Dartan and Thibodaux readied to fire. Karnage's men prepared themselves to counter the three Gauls. They knew for certain that not everyone was going to make it out alive.

_Approaching the Eisengeier-_

Jager broke formation and headed straight for the bridge. As he closed in on his target he noticed that the there were quite a lot of figures standing in the brightly lit room. "Good, I can get them all at once!" said the wolf. A second later he pressed down on the trigger.

_The Bridge-_

"This is getting entirely out of control!" Don Karnage shouted, "If you are stupid enough to hurt the boy or fire on us, then this will become a blood bath!"

"You should have thought of this before you tried hijacking this ship," replied Francois in his annoyingly nonchalant manner.

"Boss, we got to do something!" said Shifty who was nervously swinging his rifle between the three Gauls.

"You are not going to do anything except surrender," said Francois who then continued, "Karnage, you and your men will be taken to Gaul, put on trial, and executed by firing squad. Jock, you and your fellow traitors will either be hung or guillotined in public for high treason...or perhaps _you _can get shot during the hijacking!"

"And what about you?" asked a defiant Jock.

As soon as Jock asked his question, Karnage noticed something behind Francois and his men. He looked out the main window and saw something approaching them. It looked like three planes. Suddenly one of the planes broke formation and headed straight for the aircarrier. Karnage felt his stomach churn and slowly began to crouch to the floor.

"Well to answer your question Traitor, for our efforts I expect that I and my men will be commended by the government and awarded the Legion de'Honore," said Francois with a sinister grin. With that the cat raised his pistol at Jock and put his finger to the trigger.

Suddenly the thick glass of the main window burst into pieces as machine gun fire unleashed a shower of lead into the bridge. Karnage had seen the plane approaching and lowered himself to the floor. Francois, who was too busy paying attention to Jock to notice Karnage going to the floor, took the brunt of the barrage. The bullets slammed into him with enough force to throw him forward onto the floor. He never knew what hit him. Dartan and Thibodaux didn't fare so well either: each was close enough to their leader and received a lethal amount of lead. Fortunately for everyone else in the bridge, the three had provided enough cover to ensure that no one else was hit. A few stray rounds went here and there and pulse rates shot up, but no one else was hit.

The attacking plane finished its barrage and pulled up over the _Eisengeier _leaving the people on the bridge in shock.

"WHAT WAS THAT!" Bouchard screamed.

"Madre mi Dios!" said Hernando as he raised his head off of the floor.

Karnage looked around and saw that everyone was slowly getting up from the ground. Shifty had gotten to his feet along with Etienne and together they were covering the remaining crew. Everyone looked like they were ok, with the exception of Francois and his men. Karnage took a look at the fallen undercover agent and saw something underneath his body. It looked like a foot…_RATCHET!_

_In the air-_

"I got a few of them!" said Jager into his mike to his two pilots. The wolf captain then ordered his men to circle back to the front of the aircarrier.

_The Bridge-_

Karnage crawled over to the fallen cat's body and rolled it off the cub. The boy was face down and motionless. Panicked, Karnage sat up and grabbed the boy's shoulders and pulled him up. The boy had his eyes closed.

"Ratchet!" Karnage said frantically, "Boy, are you…alive?" That last word came out with apprehension.

"Boss, is he OK? Tell me he's OK?" said Shifty.

"Ratchet, speak to I," said Karnage who shook the cub.

"Boss, he's got blood on him!" said Shifty who pointed out that there indeed was blood on the boy.

"Oh no!" cried Karnage, "It is all my fault! I shouldn't have let the boy come with me!"

A sudden cough caught Karnage's attention and he reflexively let go of Ratchet, causing the cub to slump to the floor.

"OUCH!" cried Ratchet as his head thumped off of the floor, "That hurt!"

"Ratchet, you're alive!" said Karnage.

"Are you OK kid?" asked Shifty.

"I feel out of it," answered the boy.

"You're bleeding muchacho," added Hernando who pointed out the blood on the cub.

"I don't think the blood is his, I think it belongs to this worthless piece of offal," said Jock as he used his toe to nudge Francois' lifeless body.

"That guy actually saved the kids life," said Shifty.

"Yes, Shifty is right. This fool acted as a shield for you," said Karnage who lifted Ratchet up off the floor.

"That fool broke my wrist," Ratchet said angrily, "What a jerk!"

The hijackers laughed at the boy's anger which was accentuated by his crackling voice. Even the remaining aircrew couldn't help but laugh as the boy's voice pitch shifted.

Ratchet flushed with embarrassment as he realized that his voice broke in front of everybody.

"Don't worry about it mon petit, you'll grow out of it soon enough," said Jock with a gentle pat to the shoulder.

As soon as Jock said this the sound of approaching airplanes caught everyone's attention.

"They are coming back!" said Captain Rouen.

"Get these people out of here and to the brig. I am going to the radio room to address these pilots with my voice!" said Karnage.

_The Radio Room-_

"Attention hijackers of the _Eisengeier, _I am ordering you to surrender immediately or you will be shot out of the sky," said a sophisticated voice.

_I know that voice, _Karnage said as he picked up the radio mike, "Attention pilot person, this is the head hijacker addressing you."

There was a moment of silence and then a reply, "Karnage, is that you?" came the voice on the other end.

"It is I Jager," said Karnage.

_In the air-_

_Oh what luck! That fool Karnage was stupid enough to hijack the Eisengeier! _Jager thought gleefully, "Well, well, well Karnage, we meet again!"

"How dare you fire on me in what I have rightly stolen!" said an irate Karnage.

"I should continue to strafe the airship, but somehow I don't think that would be satisfactory to you hmmm?" prodded Jager.

"No it would not! I shall defeat you in battle Jager!" challenged Karnage.

There was another pause and finally a reply from Jager; "Would you like a shot at the title Karnage?"

_The Radio Room-_

"I accept your challenge Jager because I, the great Don Karnage, do not back away from a challenge!"

"Very well Karnage," said Jager, "Come get me!"

_Mannheim Aerodrome, Reichland-_

"Lieutenant Volke sir! I am hearing a lot of chatter from the Gauls," said the private, "They're sending planes after the _Eisengeier."_

"How many Hummel?" asked Volke.

"My Gaul is a little rusty sir, but I think they're sending an _entire _squadron after it," said the jackal private.

"Mein Gott," was all Volke said.

_The Corridors-_

The two remaining members of the guard force kept to the darkened corridors. They had heard the order to report to the bridge, but they had stopped short of going there after they heard commotion and later, gunfire. Now they lay in wait for any targets of opportunity to appear.

Jock and Etienne led the captive crew out of the bridge and down toward the brig which was located near the rear of the ship. Niemens, and Guernon had headed down to the engine room, while Gibber, Ratchet, and Declerc stayed behind on the bridge. At the moment Karnage, Shifty, and Hernando were heading down to the cargo bay where two dozen CT-37s awaited them.

"So Jager is really out there Boss?" asked Shifty.

"Yes my minion and no one, I mean neither of you will engage him. It will be I against him, do you understand yes no?" said Karnage.

"Si," replied Hernando.

"Gotcha Boss," said Shifty.

The two guards watched in amazement as two members of the engine room walked down a corridor herding the rest of the crew along. The captives even included the ship's captain!

"Sergeant, they must've mutinied!" said Private DeBussey.

"There are some missing though," said the gruff Boar to his duck private, "That means that either the others got away or…didn't make it."

"I didn't see the LT," said the worried private.

"He called us on the intercom, which means he was on the bridge, and if he isn't with the captives then that must mean he either mutinied too or…he didn't make it," said the sergeant.

"What are we going to do?" asked the private who was shaking with the realization that they might be severely outnumbered.

"We are soldiers and we follow orders DeBussey," said the sergeant, "We have orders to defend this ship."

With that the two soldiers headed down the corridor toward the bridge and ran right into Karnage…literally.

_The Brig-_

Jock stopped the group just as they were going to be led into their cell. The group was supposed to be dropped off on the Isle of Sardines but due to the unexpected arrival of the Reichlanders, that may not happen. Realizing this Jock made a decision.

"Captain Rouen, there are some cargo planes in the bay. You and the others may leave," said Jock.

"What? How can we trust a traitor like you?" roared Rouen.

"You'll just have to trust me," said Jock who added, "Etienne let's take them to the plane."

"Chief, what about that Karnage fellow, won't he be mad?" asked Etienne.

"He'll just have to deal with it," was Jock answer.

_The Corridors-_

"OOOOFFFF!" came from the lips of Don Karnage as he walked right into a guard. The two collided and the larger Gaul fell on top of Karnage.

"SURRENDER!" screamed as he pointed his rifle at Hernando.

The large jaguar wasn't intimidated and with a quick swipe, knocked the barrel away from him. The young private panicked and was immediately jumped by Hernando.

On the floor, Karnage struggled with the boar sergeant. The large boar had the upper hand and wrestled the fallen wolf up and held him by an arm around the neck. "Surrender and let my soldier go or your ringleader gets it," threatened the sergeant.

"I don't think so pal, its three against two," said Shifty who pointed his rifle at the boar's head.

"It would seem that we are at an impasse yes no?" said Karnage.

The five stood uncertainly for a few moments and finally the private spoke; "Sergeant Fortenot the weasel has a point. There are more of them then us and plus if he starts shooting then there's only going to be him left which means that the hijackers win."

"What are you saying DeBussey?" asked the sergeant.

"Well, maybe we can get away in one of the planes. We can negotiate a trade off. All of the crew they've taken prisoner in exchange for their leader. You'll get the credit for saving their lives and the Air Corps will come in and shoot these guys down and we'll end up as heroes!" said the smiling private who was able to move somewhat now that Hernando had loosened his grip a little.

"Your solider has a most intriguing point. So intriguing that I am amazed that I, with my abundant intelligence, did not think of it first," said Karnage with a smile.

"Boss, I can take this guy!" said Shifty as he readied to pull the trigger.

"No Shifty, do not shoot. Guards, I have an offer for you. There are three planes circling this airship. They have shot up the bridge and killed three people. I am going to take my two wingmen with me to fight them. If I don't then they may succeed in shooting us down and we will all die. I am the only one who can save us all, but only if you listen to your private," said Karnage with a smile.

"You'd actually let us go?" asked the sergeant.

"Yes, it is mutually beneficial. I was going to have to land on the Isle of Sardines to let the captives go, but now that we have company I may not be able to do that. So by allowing me to take this ship, you can leave with the crew and be responsible for saving their lives," Karnage said.

The guard thought long and hard about the wolf's proposition: _I am supposed to guard this ship and its crew. But people are more important than this ship. The ship is destined for the scrap heap anyway, but if the crew is killed or taken captive then it'll be a tragedy and there will be a major public backlash. I hate to admit it, but DeBussey and the wolf have a good point. _"OK hijacker, here is the deal: We will all go down to the bay together with you under my control. All of the captives will be boarded in the plane and then we will take the lift to the top. Your men will stay below, but you will come with me, OK?"

"How do I know that you'll let me go if I have no one else with me hmmmm?" prodded Karnage.

"Very well, your weasel friend may go up too," was Fortenot's answer.

_The Cargo Bay-_

The group made it to the cargo bay and stood before one of the two SA-10 cargo planes.

"OK Capitaine Rouen, you and the others may leave," said Jock.

"You're actually letting us go then?" asked the skeptical captain.

"Oui, it makes things easier for us without you. Besides, I don't want any more bloodshed," replied Jock.

"HEY START THAT PLANE!" came a shout from the catwalk.

The assembled looked up and saw a guard with Karnage held next to him. With them were Karnage's two men and another guard.

"Yes, start the plane and get inside, you are free to go. Nice thinking ahead Jock, my inside-man type friend," said Karnage.

"Hey Boss, we may as well tell them about the other two guards," said Shifty.

"Good idea my underling, take this private and get them okey-dokey?" asked Karnage.

"I'm on it Boss!" said Shifty who took off with the private in tow.

_The Eisengeier's Flight Deck-_

The wind whipped around Don Karnage as he stood with and watched the Gaulish crew board the SA-10 Cargo plane. Captain Rouen sat at the controls and spoke into the plane's radio. More than likely he was attempting to contact the Gaul's Air Service which meant that people other than Jager would be along to shoot him down. _Oh well, they can just stand in line, _thought Karnage.

"The last of my men are aboard Karnage. I expect you to keep your word and let us go," said the sergeant who added, "You get the ship, the crew gets home safely, and I get the credit."

"You have the word of a Karnage," said the wolf.

Both looked each other in the eyes and a moment of understanding passed between them that conveyed that they did indeed trust one another. turned and entered the waiting plane. Karnage and Shifty watched as the SA-10 sped down the top of the aircarrier and climbed into the sky.

"Shifty my loyal accomplice, let us not keep Jager waiting," said Karnage.

Shifty nodded, cracked his knuckles, and together with Karnage, descended into the cargo hold to get to their planes.

_In the air-_

Jager watched as his rival let the crew leave in an SA-10 cargo plane. The plane rightfully belonged to Reichland, but Jager resisted the urge to shoot it down. He had more important things to deal with at the moment, like Karnage.

_Approaching the Eisengeier-_

Captain Miclette listened to Captain Rouen's report on the _Eisengeier _situation. The aircarrier captain informed him that they had been allowed to leave in a cargo plane and that they were heading back to Gaul. He also told the lion squadron leader of the traitorous members of the crew. Miclette in turn informed Rouen of the orders from headquarters: the _Eisengeier _was to be shot down.

"Attention men, we are approximately 15 minutes from our target. We will hold in formation and will engage on my command. Do not fire on the approaching cargo plane, I say again, do not fire on the approaching cargo plane. Acknowledge in sequence, over," said Miclette.

Miclette's pilots acknowledge in order of airplane number and continued on toward the _Eisengeier._

_The Cargo hold-_

"Hernando, Shifty, to your planes!" Don Karnage said as he jumped into the cockpit of the CT-37 fighter. He glanced to Jock and said, "You are in charge until I get back. Make sure we head toward Afrika and have anyone who isn't doing anything useful man the guns!"

"Oui Capitaine!" said Jock.

Hearing himself being called capitaine made Karnage smile.

In a matter of minutes the three fighters were topside and heading off into the sky to take on Jager.

_The Bridge-_

Ratchet watched as Don Karnage, Hernando, and Shifty flew above them and headed toward Jager and his pilots. The cub had brought a radio into the bridge and was monitoring the airwaves while Declerc manned the ship's wheel. The pig piloted the aircarrier on its course toward Afrika.

"Good I see we are heading in the right direction," said Jock as he and Etienne entered the room.

"We've got this under control chief," answered Declerc.

Jock saw that Gibber was sitting idly in the captain's chair. The gray dog seemed to be in a daze and Jock wondered if it was true that the dog couldn't speak. Noticing that Jock's attention was on Gibber, Ratchet said, "He's been like that for a while now."

"Make sure he rests OK Ratchet," said Jock.

The cub nodded solemnly and continued to monitor the radio. A Jock and Etienne were about to leave, the boy looked up and with wide eyes said, "We're going to be having company in a few minutes!"

"Etienne, we need to get as many people as we can up on the guns," said Jock.

"Oui, I'll get Niemens and Guernon," Etienne said as he ran off toward the engine room.

"Gibber," said Jock.

Gibber turned to face Jock.

"Do you think you can man a gun?" asked Jock.

A smile crossed the wounded dog's face and he climbed out of his chair, ready to man his gun.

_In the air-_

"Its about time you got into the air Karnage," Jager said into his radio mike.

"I am making the fashionably late entrance Jager," replied Karnage.

Jager saw that Karnage too had two planes with him and that it was going to be an even fight. Smiling, the wolf opened fire.

A volley of bullets whizzed past Karnage who turned his plane hard and rose higher into the sky. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Jager had continued on toward another target.

Shifty fired his guns at the rapidly approaching enemy fighter and managed to score a couple of hits on the airplane's wing. The Reichlander pilot dove down toward the _Eisengeier _and then climbed higher and fired at Hernando's plane.

Hernando felt a bullet whizz past his ear and reacted by banking hard to the left. The pursuing pilot fired more 20mm rounds from his 4 cannons. The jaguar dove down toward the sea in an effort to lose the enemy plane.

Jager saw that his other two pilots were engaging Karnage's plane which left one plane. The wolf quickly located it, increased his speed, and came in behind the plane.

Shifty looked left and right for the third Reichlander CT-37, but the plane was nowhere to be seen. The weasel began to panic. If he couldn't see the other plane then that must mean it was probably behind him. He jerked the controls hard to the right and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough there was an enemy plane right behind him. The guns on the pursuing plane opened fire. Shifty turned hard left to avoid the bullets but he wasn't fast enough. The bullets slammed into the CT-37 and ruptured its fuel tank. Shifty watched in horror as the gages in the plane lit up. He was losing fuel fast!

Don Karnage looked to his right and saw that Shifty's plane had been hit. He gritted his teeth and pulled back hard on the controls. He almost stalled out and collided with the plane that had been chasing him. The enemy plane dropped down in altitude and shot past Karnage, its pilot barely avoiding crashing into its prey. No Karnage was the pursuer. He pressed down on the trigger and fired on the enemy. He watched as the Reichlander plane burst into an orange ball of fire and fell toward the sea. "The first kill goes to Karnage!" he cried.

A flash of light caught Jager's attention. He whipped his head right and saw a plane blow up and fall out of the sky. Seeing as all of the CT-37s had the same paint scheme, it was impossible to tell who had been shot down. A moment later Karnage came on the line.

"I have claimed the first kill so take that Heinzy!" shouted Karnage.

Jager's blood boiled and he snatched his mike and said, "Don't count your blessings yet Karnage. This isn't over yet!"

The angry wolf shifted his attention back on his prey and opened fire.

Hernando fired at the CT-37 that had damaged Shifty's plane. His bullets hit the plane's tail section and caused it to separate from the rest of the plane. The tailless plane went out of control and spiraled into the waves far below. Hernando smiled in satisfaction and then felt something slam into his back. Sparks flashed up from the wings of his plane as his unseen enemy's bullets found their mark. The jaguar slumped forward on his control. His last thought before losing consciousness was; _At least I went out fighting._

Anger filled Karnage as he watched Hernando's plane fall into the sea. He had lost one of his own and now someone was going to pay.

Shifty flew his crippled plane toward the _Eisengeier _in the hopes that he could make an emergency landing. He was almost to the flight deck Jager's bullets shot into his plane. The airplane went out of control and headed toward the bridge.

_The Bridge-_

"Mon Dieu! Its heading right for us!" shouted Declerc as he pointed to the damaged plane that was seconds away from colliding with them. Instinctively the pig ran toward Ratchet and threw himself onto the boy in an effort to shield him.

Ratchet froze in fright as he saw the plane headed toward him. The next thing he knew Declerc was on top of him. The cub closed his eyes and waited for the end.

Shifty knew this was it. He wasn't going to make it. His plane was about to slam into the aircarrier and he had no way to escape. He was headed for the bridge and if he did then the people there were going to die too. "I ain't letting that happen!" He shouted as he pulled back on the controls as hard as he could. His plane barely missed the top of the bridge as he shot by. The plane's skids hit the flight deck with enough force to make the weasel lose control. The CT-37 spun to the left and rolled over and over down the length of the aircarrier. It continued on for 150 meters before coming to a fiery stop.

_In the air-_

Tears of anger filled Karnage's eyes as he watched Shifty crash. Two of his best pilots and people he considered friends(though he'd never admit it) were gone. Now it was just him and Jager.

As if his rival could read his mind, Jager came on over the air. "Well, well, well, it just you and I Don." The word 'well' came out sounding like '_vell'._

"May the best pilot live," was all Karnage had to say.

_The Bridge-_

"You OK kid?" asked Declerc as he pulled the wolf cub to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm OK," said the cub as he looked at his swelling wrist, "I've been better though."

"The pilot must've pulled up. He crashed on the flight deck," said Declerc.

"I'm going topside," said the boy who went to the broken window and climbed out.

_In the air-_

High above the _Eisengeier _a dogfight raged. The two equally skilled pilots squared off in a deadly aerial ballet. Their highly maneuverable fighters tore across the sky and weaved in and out of the clouds. The almost full moon illuminated the night sky and gave Karnage and Jager excellent vision. Both of the pilots possessed skills that were unmatched by any pilots the Reichlanders had fielded and thus what should have been a relatively quick battle became a prolonged contest to see who was better.

Karnage did a loop and came in behind Jager. Jager reacted by weaving left and right and up and down. He did his best to deny Karnage a clear shot. He spotted a large cloud and headed straight into it.

"Ahhh, so you think you can hide from me in the cloud eh? We shall see about that!" said Karnage as he entered the cloud after his opponent.

What Karnage didn't realize was that as soon as Jager had entered the cloud, he took a hard left and came down out of the cloud, leaving Karnage to fly out of the cloud's top.

Don Karnage emerged from the cloud and saw no sign of Jager. "Where did you go Heinzy?" Karnage said to himself. Suddenly bullets streaked passed him. Jager had done some sneaky maneuver and had come in from his left. Angry at being duped, Karnage cut his engine and his plane fell back into the cloud.

Jager watched as Karnage dropped from the sky and into the clouds. "I admit it Karnage, that was a nice move," he said into the mike.

Karnage's reply came quick, "You should expect nothing less from I."

Jager grinned and then dropped his plane down into the clouds.

_The Eisengeier's Flight Deck-_

Ratchet raced down the flight deck toward the burning pyre that was Shifty's plane. He skidded to a halt as he approached the wreck. No one could've survived the crash. A pang of emptiness filled the cub as he realized that Shifty has perished. He had known the pilot ever since he had arrived at the squadron's base over two years earlier. The pilots had taken him in after he had run away from the orphanage and had made him one of their own. Now Shifty was gone. The cub looked up into the sky and saw a fighter drop out of a cloud. It was soon followed by another plane. Judging by the way the first plane flew he guessed it was Karnage. He looked around for any other plane, but saw none. Ratchet realized then that all the other planes were gone. _They got Hernando too, _he thought as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.

_In the air-_

With Jager hot on his heels, Karnage took the plane closer to the immense aircarrier. As he sped over the ship he saw the burning wreckage of Shifty's plane, and near it, a small figure. Ratchet! Karnage grabbed his mike and said, "Jager! Do not fire on the aircarrier. There is a boy on it!"

"So, you have included your little mechanic on this foray hmmmm?" said Jager. "Reckless of you to include a child on this, but then again, you can't ask for a better mechanic. I will not fire on him."

_The Eisengeier's Flight Deck-_

Ratchet looked up as the two remaining CT-37s roared over head. The pursuing plane had a clear shot on Karnage, but for some reason did not fire.

As soon he passed the flight deck Karnage took his plane into a deep dive and went underneath the length of the aircarrier.

Instead of following his rival, Jager took his plane into the sky and waited for Karnage to come out from under the _Eisengeier. _"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he taunted.

"Here I come Jager!" yelled Karnage.

The two planes headed straight for each other. They were separated by 1,500 feet and closed in on one another at full speed, guns blazing.

Jager watched as Karnage climbed to meet his dive, _This fool is playing chicken with me! We shall see who the real chicken is!_

Karnage remembered the wise words of Major Boelcke, the great Reichlander air ace who had practically written the book on dog fighting; "_If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught, but fly to meet it._" Taking these words to heart, Karnage rose to meet Jager.

Jager smiled as he realized what Karnage was up too. _He remembers Boelcke's rules! Finally I can fight a worthy adversary!_

The two wolves rained lead onto one another's planes as they charged one another. Bullets found Jager's engine and propellers and caused him to lose most of his power. He cursed and struggled to maintain control of his fighter. As Jager wrestled with his controls one of his bullets found Karnage. The projectile hit the wolf in his left ear and tore away a chunk of flesh. He screamed in rage but kept firing. His plane had sustained heavy damage and suddenly began to stall. One thing that Karnage didn't know at the time, but would later learn, was that the CT-37s had one major fault: They had a tendency to stall out when ascending at sharp angles. He fought to maintain control and managed one last burst at Jager. Karnage's bullets peppered Jager's plane and caused the plane to spiral out of control.

As Jager's plane went down, Karnage aligned his crippled fighter with the _Eisengeier's _flight deck. He glided in and prepared for a hard landing. The planed hit hard and skidded down the flight deck. It hit the wreckage of Shifty's plane and stopped. The force of the impact caused Karnage's head to slam off of the control and made him momentarily lose consciousness.

Far below Jager glided his damaged plane into a water landing. It was a rough landing but he managed to keep the plane from rolling over. The dazed pilot shook his head and looked up. The hulking form of the _Eisengeier _passed directly overhead. _At least I shot Karnage down too, _he thought as he reached for his still functioning radio and called into base. Von Baer would not be pleased.

_Darnstadt, Reichland-_

Colonel Von Baer received word that Jager and his men had been shot down along with three hijackers and that the _Eisengeier _was still under the control of the hijackers. He was not pleased.


	7. Taken With Losses

"_After crosses and losses men grow humbler and wiser"-Benjamin Franklin_

_The Eisengeier's Flight Deck-_

The feeling of someone shaking his shoulders caused Karnage to snap out of his unconscious mode. "Uhhhh, what happened? My head is so hurting now," he said.

"Boss, you're alive!" said Ratchet. The boy knelt over Karnage on the front of the damaged plane and looked relieved that his leader was alright.

"I don't feel so good," said Karnage tiredly.

"You don't look so good either," said Ratchet, "You're bleeding from the ear."

Karnage touched his throbbing left ear and felt pain as he probed the wound. A small chunk of flesh had been shot off by Jager. He stood up uneasily from the cockpit and rolled over the side onto the wing. He jumped down to the surface and almost fell over. Ratchet jumped down and steadied him. Karnage threw an arm around the cub's shoulders and looked down at him. The boy looked up at him with a tired smile. Karnage noticed that the boy's eyes were red, as if he'd been crying. Karnage realized that the boy had been through a lot the past few hours, more than any child should.

"Boy you have been through a lot tonight," said Karnage, "But I will not lie to you, we are not out of this yet. You will go through more."

"I'm ready Boss!" said the cub with eagerness.

Karnage smiled and ruffled the cub's head. The boy had had his wrist broken, almost been killed, and had seen two of his fellow hijackers die in the space of a few hours. This was one tough kid. "Ratchet, once we make it to Pirate Island you will have your hands full with this ship."

The boy smiled and said, "There's nothing that I can't fix!" Then he quickly added, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, we're going to be having some company in a few minutes."

_Approaching the Eisengeier-_

Captain Miclette grabbed his radio mike and hailed the _Eisengeier, _"Attention _Eisengeier, _this is Captain Miclette of the Gaul Air Corps. We will be attacking you in five minutes unless you surrender and head for Gaul, do you copy?"

_The Bridge-_

Declerc was in a panic. The Air Corps was on its way to shoot them down unless they surrendered. He knew that there were people manning the guns to defend the ship, but he doubted that they could hold off Miclette and his squadron. He had heard of Miclette before. The lion was the best air ace in the service and was among the top five fighter pilots of the Great War. They would definitely get passed the guns and disable the ship, plus the hijackers had no more pilots to defend with. Teeth chattering with nervousness, Declerc reached for the radio mike to speak with Miclette and ask for terms.

"Ah, Declerc, be so kind as to hand I the mike," came a voice from behind him.

"Karnage, you're alive!" said Declerc.

"Of course I am! Did you think you were speaking to a ghost? It will take more than three pilots to stop the great Don Karnage!" said the wolf.

"Karnage, there is an _entire _squadron coming after us headed by Miclette!" said Declerc.

"Ahhh, Louis Miclette himself! The great air ace is coming after me," said Karnage with a smile, "If our men haven't already, have them man the guns." Karnage took the mike from Declerc and spoke to Miclette, "This is the terror of the skies Don Karnage! talking to you with my voice, I will not be surrendering! So, uhh, how do you like them mangoes?"

There was silence for a moment and then Miclette answered, "This is Captain Louis Miclette and I and my squadron will be shooting at you…right…about…NOW!"

_The Guns-_

Guernon scanned the cloudy sky as he searched for the approaching planes. He couldn't see a thing and the sound of the rotors above him on the top of the aircarrier drowned out any other noise. How could he detect any planes? Without warning gunfire hit the side of the aircarrier and sparks erupted from above. Then there was a flash of light and an explosion.

"They're going for the rotors!" said the stork.

A Spaad fighter crossed his sights then and he pressed down on the anti-aircraft machine gun.

_In the Air-_

The twenty four Spaad fighters broke off into two equal groups and began their attack on the hijacked aircarrier. They fired their machine guns at the great airship in an attempt to disable the craft's rotors.

Captain Miclette saw that bullets were largely ineffective and ordered his men to drop their bombs onto the airship. Each fighter pilot had 2 hand-dropped bombs aboard which, if dropped correctly, could cause considerable damage. He watched as one pilot dropped his bomb down toward one of the many rotors that lined both sides of the aircarrier's flight deck. The bomb hit a few meters from its intended target and blew up, but left the rotor intact.

As the lion squadron leader flew on he noticed tracer rounds streaking up from the aircarrier. The hijackers had decided to man the guns. "I guess they will not be sending any fighters up after all," said Miclette.

_The Bridge-_

"Declerc you have the bridge, Ratchet head to the engine room," said Don Karnage.

"Oui capitaine," said Declerc, "I will man the radios and intercom. There are intercoms in the engine room and at the guns."

"Very smart idea my friend, I will take a gun," replied Karnage. The wolf turned and ran out the bridge in search of a machine gun to man.

Ratchet ran out after Karnage and then broke off toward the engine room.

Declerc looked out the bridge's window (what was left of it) and saw a couple of fighters fly past the nose of the ship. This was the first time Declerc had been in any sort of combat. He had asthma and wasn't allowed into the Army and so missed the action at the front. He was allowed to join the Air Corps, but had been kept well away from the front lines. He wasn't a terribly brave person and he wasn't one for violence, but tonight he had remained cool during the hijacking and had even rushed to shield the little wolf cub when the Reichlanders had attacked. He thought about it and realized that despite the attacking planes he wasn't scared or even nervous anymore. He smiled and grabbed the hand mike.

"Listen up boys," said Declerc over the intercom, "We have an entire squadron of Air Corps fighters attacking us and they're headed by the famous Captain Miclette himself. Were outnumbered and out gunned and the odds are against us. But remember, we survived a hijacking and we survived the Reichlanders, so we can survive this! Now let's show these sorry flyboys what were made of! _Vive les Pirates!"_

_The Corridors-_

Don Karnage stopped and started to laugh when he heard Declerc say '_Vive les Pirates' _. "He thinks he is a pirate! Well tonight he and the rest of them have earned the right to be my noble pirates!"

_The Guns-_

Etienne fired his double barreled machine gun at an approaching Spaad fighter. The biplane took several hits and pulled away with smoke trailing from its engine. It bothered Etienne that he was fighting his own countrymen but he realized that he was in a life or death situation and needed to defend himself.

One the other side of the aircarrier, Niemens managed to down the first aircraft. The biplane had strafed the side of the ship and its pilot had dropped a small bomb that managed to knock out one of the many rotors on the flight deck. When the plane circled back the cheetah unloaded into it and the plane fell toward the sea below.

_In the air-_

Miclette watched as one of his planes went down, the first victim to the defenders. The squadron leader dove his plane toward the _Eisengeier's _flight deck and dropped a bomb on one of the rotors. The well placed explosive destroyed its intended target. Now the ship had lost two of its rotors.

_The Guns-_

Don Karnage had managed to find a cannon instead of a machine gun. He loaded a round into the weapon and spotted an approaching plane.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Karnage said as he fired the cannon. His shot knocked the plane from the sky in a bright flash. "HAHAHA! When you mess with Don Karnage, you mess with the bestest in the sky!"

_The Engine Room-_

A loud buzzing caught Ratchet's attention. He looked around and was suddenly bathed in a red light. Once the alarms had sounded the room's regular lighting was replaced with the red emergency lights. He ran to a control panel and saw that lights were flashing near two of the aircarrier's topside rotors. Immediately a third rotor light began flashing.

"Declerc, its Ratchet," he said into the nearby intercom, "We've lost rotor numbers 3,7, and 10!"

Declerc immediately came on, "I know! Listen, you need to shut them down. Even if they're destroyed they are still receiving power. Shut them down and the power will be diverted to the remaining rotors.!"

"I'm on it!" said the cub who rushed to follow Declerc's instructions. He had noticed that there were a total of 12 of the giant rotors on the ship and if three were now inoperable than that meant that they were being held aloft with only 75% power. Worse, two of the rotors were on the same side of the ship.

_The Guns-_

"Karnage, we've lost three rotors so far and we've lost power," said Declerc over the intercom.

"Take us lower then! Must I think of everything? I am in the middle of a battle, I have other things to worry about," snapped Karnage who added, "Deal with it!"

"Roger sir," said Declerc.

_The Bridge-_

_Okay, if he wants us to go lower, then we're going to go lower! _Thought Declerc as he pushed down on the controls and took the ship below three thousand feet.

_In the air-_

"They are descending men! Follow them and continue to knock out those rotors!" commanded Miclette to his remaining men. So far he had lost 4 planes to the defenders. He hated to admit it, but they were putting up a better fight than he expected.

One of the Gaul pilots flew in close and dropped his bomb on another rotor, causing it to sustain sufficient damage to knock it out of action.

"Capitaine Miclette, this is Colonel Chartrand, seeing as you and your men have passed the halfway point I am authorizing you to continue your pursuit. We have received permission from the Ligurian government to allow you to land on the island of Sisilly, over."

"Roger Colonel," said Miclette as he relayed the colonel's message to his pilots.

_Cote de Azur Airfield, Gaul-_

Colonel Chartrand looked at the table map and the marked positions of the _Eisengeier _and his aircraft. Intelligence had reported that three planes from Reichland had gone after the aircarrier and that all three had been downed by the hijackers. Right now his planes had less than a half an hour's worth of fuel left and would have to land on the Island of Sisilly. He had managed to clear the squadron to land there after he had spoken to the base's commander there.

"Good thing the Ligurians are our allies sir," said Captain Sarveaux.

"It's a bad thing that I had to call them. Now news of the hijacking will get out and there will be an uproar in the government. This is a major embarrassment," said the colonel.

"Sir, if the _Eisengeier _escapes, then what?" asked the captain.

Chartrand took a deep breath and said, "Then the world will have to deal with the mad man that hijacked it."

_The Guns-_

"I'm a mad man!" Don Karnage said gleefully as he fired the cannon at two approaching planes. One of the planes had its wing shot off which caused it to spiral down to the waters below. "Quien su papa?" Karnage roared in delight, "I am having so much fun!"

_The Engine Room-_

"Declerc, we've lost number 8!" shouted Ratchet.

"Keep the power equally distributed. I'm taking us down to twenty-five hundred feet," answered the pig.

_In the air-_

Miclette watched as the _Eisengeier _began to dip below three thousand feet. As it did it tilted enough to expose the two large propellers on its aft. He seized the opportunity and threw his remaining bomb at the starboard propeller. The bomb exploded and damaged the device enough to make it lose half of its power. It would take more than one direct hit to completely destroy the propellers.

"Men, go for the propellers!" he ordered.

_The Engine Room-_

"Oh cripes!" said the wide-eyed Ratchet as he watched the starboard propeller warning light blink. "Declerc they're hitting the propellers!"

_The Bridge-_

"Roger kid," said Declerc, "Karnage, they're going after the main props. You've got to stop them!"

_The Guns-_

Jock and Gibber had rushed to the rear gun emplacements and immediately shot down another Spaad fighter. The attackers had abandoned the rest of the aircarrier and had congregated behind them.

"There must be almost twenty of them Gibber!" shouted Jock.

Gibber heard Jock's voice over the intercom and counted 19 planes. He shot one down. 18 left. He ignored the dull ache in his throat and fired away.

One plane broke off from the rest and came at the _Eisengeier _ for a broadside attack. The pilot was aiming for the rotors. Guernon saw the pilot coming in and fired a prolonged barrage at the plane. The wall of incoming lead caused the pilot to jerk his aircraft hard to the left, but a stream of bullets found his plane anyway. The now out of control plane with its wounded pilot slammed right into the starboard side of the _Eisengeier _in a thunderous explosion that had enough force to rupture the hull.

_In the air-_

Miclette saw a bright flash on the starboard side of the _Eisengeier_ and cursed to himself. "I gave an order to attack the rear propellers, not the rest of the ship! Keep at the propellers!" He roared.

_The Engine Room-_

Ratchet gulped as he watched the power level of the damaged propeller go down. He could hear the whining strain of the engines and began to worry if the damaged ship would make it to safety.

"Ratchet, how are we looking? I think we're losing power," asked Declerc.

"It doesn't look good at all," he answered.

"What's your prognosis?" asked Declerc.

"Not good," he replied."

"What do we need," asked Declerc.

Ratchet gulped again, "A miracle."

_The Guns-_

"Take that and that and that!" Karnage yelled as he fired away at the fighters. The planes moved from side to side and up and down and managed to escape his barrage unscathed. "Oh you make me so angry!"

_In the air-_

"Captain Miclette, we are almost out of fuel! We need to land quickly!" came the voice of Miclette's wingman, Lieutenant Guilliard.

"Keep firing, we're almost to Sisilly anyway!" Miclette answered. He wasn't going to let the fuel situation stop him from the attack. He planned to keep going until he was on fumes and forced to glide in to a landing.

Following their squadron leader's example, the rest of the pilots kept up the attack.

_The Guns-_

"Boy these guys are persistent!" said Niemens over the intercom to his fellow gunners. The cheetah had damaged a fighter causing it to peel away from the rest and head in for an emergency landing.

"You got that right mon ami, they're on us like white on rice," retorted Etienne.

"Keep fighting my noble pirates!" said Karnage over the comm.

"Did he just call us pirates?" asked Guernon.

"I think he did," answered Niemens, "Even Delcerc said pirates earlier."

"Pirates, I kinda like the sound of that," said Etienne.

_The Bridge-_

Declerc looked out a side window and realized that they were a few miles off the coast of Sisilly and yet still the attackers were on their tail. "Don't these guys ever give up?" he asked himself then noticed that they were slowing down.

_The Engine Room-_

Ratchet was doing his best to fix the one of the two engines. A moment ago the engine had let out a shriek and had begun to rapidly lose power. If he couldn't get it fixed then they'd be sitting ducks.

"Declerc, we're losing power fast!" He yelled into the comm.

"Do something kid, they're gaining on us!" came Declerc's reply.

_In the air-_

"Captaine, they are slowing down!" yelled Guilliard.

_So they are…, _"Give them one last go before we land, take them!" Ordered Miclette.

_The Guns-_

"Uh-oh, these guys are gaining on us!" said Guernon.

"We're slowing down! Will be sitting ducks!" cried Etienne.

Karnage watched as the pursuers came at them in one final assault. Twin explosions rocked the aft of the aircarrier as two planes jettisoned their bombs. If they kept losing power then there could very well be another group of planes sent up after them. If that happened then he knew they wouldn't make it. Karnage reached for the comm.

_The Engine Room-_

"Boy, if you do not do something then we are going to be turned into Swiss cheese!" shouted Karnage over the comm. "No pressure or anything," he added.

Ratchet jumped onto the rapidly fading engine and screamed at it, "WORK, WORK YOU STUPID THING WORK!" He grabbed a ratchet and started hitting the engine with all his might, "WORK!"

The cub stopped hitting the engine and whimpered as the engine became quiet, "We're dead," he said and hung his head in defeat. Without warning the engine came back to life. Its low grumble grew to an intense roar and the power gauge lit up and the engine increased its output. The cub's eyes went wide as he stared at the engine. "C'mon baby, c'mon, you can do it, you can do it!" The engine miraculously reached full power and the vibrations caused the cub to rattle off of it and onto the floor. He lay there, face up with his eyes closed and laughed hysterically.

_In the air-_

As the Gaul aircraft pushed their planes to the limits of their fuel in a last attempt to knock out the _Eisengeier's _main propellers, the slowing craft suddenly sprang back to full power and moved farther away from them.

"They're getting away capitaine!" shouted Guillard.

Miclette swore a string of curses and fired off one last volley of rounds at the fleeing aircarrier. His pilots followed suit and one managed to land another bomb on the tail end of the vessel. It exploded, but caused little damage.

Miclette looked down at his fuel gauge: The needle was just passed E. He would have just enough fuel to make it in for a landing. Grudgingly he issued the order to land then he contacted headquarters. "Headquarters, this is Miclette. The target has sustained damage but has escaped," he paused then continued, "We have lost a total of 7 aircraft to enemy fire, over."

Chartrand came over the line, "Captain Miclette, land your planes, refuel, and return to base ASAP for your debriefing, out."

Miclette noticed that his superior terminated the transmission. Sighing he took his men into the allied air base.

_Cote de Azur Airfield, Gaul-_

Colonel Chartrand was furious. The hijackers had gotten away from the best pilot in the entire Air Corps. How in God's name would he explain the incident to his superiors? Thinking fast he came up with a plan.

"Captain Sarveaux," he said

"Oui Colonel," replied the captain.

"The news of this incident must never get out to the general public. If it does then the government could be out in the upcoming election. Get me in touch with General Souisson," said Chartrand. The colonel had a bright idea that may save his job and the upcoming election for the government.

"Oui Colonel, I will see to it," said Sarveaux.

_The Eisengeier-_

Don Karnage watched as the Spaad fighters broke off from their pursuit and headed toward Sisilly.

"Excellent! Now I can proceed to get away!" Karnage grabbed the intercom and spoke to his crew, "Attention my fellow partners in crime, do as I say and report to the bridge, please."

_The Bridge-_

Karnage sat in the captain's chair and addressed his crew, "Now that we have successfully stolen this ship I can now inform you all of the next phase of my most brilliant plan. For those that are new to the crew we will be flying over the desert and will go over the ocean on the way to Pirate Island. Any questions yes no?"

"We have a problem boss," said Ratchet.

"What is it?" asked Karnage.

Jock spoke up, "We have sustained damage to several rotors and are not able to reach high altitudes. Also, the damaged propeller lost power again so we are at best only going to be able to keep our speed at 50 percent. We need to land somewhere and make repairs."

"Unacceptable, the Gauls and their allies will be looking for me," said Karnage.

"We have what we need to fix the aircarrier aboard, but we need to land for a few days otherwise we may not make it to Pirate Island," said Jock.

Karnage thought for a moment then said, "Can we make it to the ocean?"

"If we fly low, say 1,000 feet, and keep our power at half then yes," Jock said, "But we will have to fly around Ghafia. That's Anglian controlled and more than likely the Gauls have alerted them to us."

"Very well then, make it happen," said Karnage who looked out of the broken window and watched as the first rays of light crept up from over the horizon. He thought about everything that had happened since he and his men had boarded the aircarrier. What should have been a quick hijacking had grown into a series of ordeals. He had managed to take the _Eisengeier _but at a steep price, the loss of two of his men and many others. Maybe he would learn something from this and be a wiser person. He sighed and said to himself, "It's been a long night."


	8. Humble Beginnings

"_Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates"-Mark Twain_

_Somewhere off the Coast of Afrika, 28 August 1919-_

"As you can see Don Karnage, these damaged rotors are completely shot. Fixing them will require much time," said Jock.

"How much time?" asked Karnage.

"With the damages and the number of men we have, maybe a week apiece," answered the crew chief.

"Unacceptable! We will be sitting ducks. It is bad enough that we are taking a risk by sitting here for two days, but for weeks is absurd!" said the wolf. Karnage looked out over the edge of the _Eisengeier's _flight deck and surveyed the lagoon in which they were hidden. There was tropical forest on the uninhabited island and they were over 50 nautical miles from the nearest shipping lane, but that didn't mean they were safe. The island may be uninhabited, but it was still a possession of one of the allied powers and who knew how long before someone from one of the nearby populated islands would show up?

Karnage had had the aircarrier land here early the day before after skirting Ghafia and sneaking across Abyssinia toward the ocean. The crew had picked up transmissions from the Gauls and the Anglians and, although no mention of the hijacking was said, it was implied that there were forces searching for them.

"If we work hard for the next two or three days we could fix the damaged starboard propeller and have it at 100 percent as opposed to its fluxuating from 20 percent to 100 percent," said Jock.

"Two or three days!" Karnage said angrily, "And what if they come and shooted at us!"

"Actually the odds are small of anyone coming out this way. No one would think that we are hiding on an island that is controlled by the allies. They probably think we took the ship toward central Afrika and are hiding in the jungle or somewhere," interjected Niemens.

"Oh and what makes you so sure about that mister smarty-type pants?" asked an aggravated Don Karnage.

The cheetah sighed and said, "Well they are more than likely thinking that we are too badly damaged to risk going over the ocean and that we will more than likely find place on the continent that we can put down at, make repairs, and hide out for a long period of time. The jungles have small villages scattered around and enough clearings that we could hide the ship in. Additionally, there are lakes where we could have put down on. No one in their right mind would have expected us to go over the ocean and land on an island that is controlled by an allied nation because they must realize that only someone who is very smart would be able to hijack this ship and get away with it. So logically, hiding here under their noses is the safest possible place to be. It's quite genius isn't it?"

Karnage barely registered the cheetah's well thought out answer. He was only concerned with the last part of the cheetah's statement. "Yes hiding here will work! I am such a genius!"

As Karnage strutted away from the pair, Niemens looked at Jock and said, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Jock just smiled and shrugged.

_General Headquarters, Paree, Gaul, 28 August 1919-_

Colonel Chartrand sat in a chair along the wall and watched the General Staff conferring amongst themselves. His superior, General Souisson, looked over his shoulder at him and said, "Are you ready to brief the president?"

"Oui General," answered Chartrand. Moments later the doors opened and in walked the president followed by the minister of defence and the chief of the general staff. The seated men stood up and saluted. The sat down as the president took his seat.

"Gentlemen, let me get to the point: I have been going almost non-stop since this _incident _took place. I have had to pull out all the stops in order to prevent this from going public. The press has caught wind that something happened and it doesn't help that many villagers in Sisilly are wondering what our planes were shooting at. Then there is the matter of the fatalities involved, and I am not even going to bring up the Reichlanders. This government is in crisis mode. The opposition is breathing down my back and if it gets out that we failed to stop the hijacking then all of us will be out of work after the upcoming election. Now you are all smart men so I sincerely trust that you have a smart idea about how to handle this," with that small beaver nodded to the minister of defence.

"I have been informed that there have been no sightings of the _Eisengeier _since Captain Miclette's squadron broke contact. This means that either they got away or that the ship sustained enough damage to where it crashed into the sea," said the rabbit minister who continued, "If they did crash, then we need a plausible scenario to give to the press."

All eyes feel on General Souisson. The goose head of the Air Corps said, "It is true that there have been no reports of any sightings of the aircarrier and it is in my opinion, and in the opinion of many of my colleagues, that there should be no sightings. Colonel Chartrand will now brief us on Operation Spin."

Chartrand stood up and walked to a podium. The leopard cleared his throat and briefed the assembled of the plan.

"Gentlemen," Chartrand began, "What General Souisson suggest is the most viable option that we have at this time. This option, which I will now brief you on, is the best possible option we have in respect to the situation as well as the upcoming elections…"

Over the next 45 minutes Chartrand went over his plan. He explained the first step in Operation Spin had already been taken with the debriefings of Captain Miclette and his squadron. Their mission was to be explained as a response to a group of renegade pilots from Reichland who had launched an attack on the _Eisengeier _in order to prevent it from reaching Gaul. The aircarrier was 'officially shot down' and sank into the sea with all hands and the pilots lost in the incident were listed as battle casualties. The press would be given this official story and all involved were to be sworn to secrecy or face imprisonment. Additionally Miclette's squadron was to be disbanded and all involved were to be promoted. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it would suit the General Staff's needs. Once he had finished his briefing, Chartrand looked at his superiors with a blank expression that masked the uncertantity he felt.

Colonel Chartrand walked out of the General Headquarters building and down the steps leading to the sidewalk. He was going to hail a cab and go back home to his wife and children and relax after the long meeting.

"Colonel Chartrand sir," came a voice.

Chartrand turned and saw Captain Sarveaux who snapped a sharp salute. Chartrand returned the salute and said, "Have you been waiting out here all this time?"

"Oui Colonel," replied Sarveaux, "How did it go?"

"Well they bought into it, so now all we have to do is wait and see how the press reports it," said Chartrand.

"That is good, hopefully it will all blow over soon," said Sarveaux.

"We'll see," said Chartrand, "Oh by the way, it is _Brigadier _Chartrand now."

"Congratulations sir!" said Sarveaux.

"Thank you Major Sarveaux," said the newly promoted officer.

"What, major?" said Sarveaux.

"Oui, you have just been promoted, along with all involved," said Chartrand.

"Terrific sir, we should celebrate! Let's go and have a drink," said Major Sarveaux happily.

"I was actually on my way home," Chartrand said. He was looking forward to spending time with his family, but then again what was an extra hour or two? "But then again, I think I will join you."

With that the two walked across the street to the nearest pub to celebrate.

_Somewhere over the Indian Ocean, 2 September, 1919-_

"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink," said Jock quietly as he gazed out of the bridge's side window to the sea below.

"What was that you said," asked Karnage who stood beside him.

"Oh nothing, I was just talking to myself," answered the dog.

"Hmmm, how are the engines holding up?" asked the wolf.

"They'll do. Those few days in the lagoon helped out," answered Jock.

"And if we are found?" asked Karnage.

"We won't outrun any planes," Jock answered matter of factly.

"It is still a few thousand miles to Pirate Island. We cannot allow ourselves to be seen and at the speed of slowness which we are traveling at, we are sitting ducks yes no?" said Karnage.

"Once we get to Pirate Island then we can fully repair and modify this ship," said Jock.

"Declerc has planned out a route that will take us well away from any populated islands, isn't that correct Declerc?" asked Karnage.

The pig spoke up, "We can't risk going through the East Indies because of the air and shipping traffic there, plus Downunda is part of Anglia so we're going to have to head south and skirt the Antarctic."

Jock shivered at the thought of taking a route anywhere near the Antarctic. The weather was violent and the temperature was freezing. "We had better rummage around through the cargo and find some cold weather gear," said Jock as he left the bridge for the cargo hold.

_Off the Coast of Antarctica, 10 September, 1919-_

Don Karnage stood at the wheel of the _Eisengeier _and piloted the aircarrier through the gale force winds that buffeted the ship. The cabin was freezing despite the addition of a new main window which had been found amongst the ship's cargo. Additionally the room's heaters were on full blast, but it was stiff very chilly on the bridge.

"Cccappptain, itttssss cccold!" said Declerc who was bundled in a military overcoat and knit cap.

"Ssstttooppp whi-whi-whining yyyou igggnoraaaamuuuus!" said Karnage.

"How is it up there?" came a voice over the intercom. It sounded like Ratchet who was down in the engine room.

Karnage replied, "Hhhow dddo you think itttt is!"

"I don't know but it sure is hot down here with this engine running. It's so hot I feel like I'm gonna pass out!" said Ratchet in his squeaking voice. Karnage could hear laughter in the background.

"Yyyyou fffools! Hhhhow wwwould you like iffff I cccame dddown there and sssslappped youuuu?" replied the aggravated Karnage.

The other engine room crew made hissing noises like static while Ratchet replied, "We didn't receive that last transmission cause of all this static," the wolf cub giggled, "You're coming in all broken up!"

Karnage gritted his teeth, turned to the shivering Declerc, and said, "They are making me so angry!"

The _Eisengeier _pushed on through the raging storm. The angry winds lashed at her hull and buffeted her flight deck. Cold air rushed into the ship's interior from the breach in her side. The hole had been largely patched up, but there was enough of a gap to allow the frigid winds to enter. Below, giant waves rolled across the turbulent seas.

The great ship passed less than two miles from the edge of the icy continent. Had the weather been calm they would have been spotted by the personnel at the small research station that was the northern most settlement on the land mass. Luckily for Karnage and his crew the storm kept the researchers indoors.

_The Engine Room-_

While Karnage and Declerc were shivering up on the Bridge, Jock, Ratchet, and Guernon were being kept warm by the machinery of the engine room. Gibber, Niemens and Etienne were currently off shift and would not be relieving them for another two hours.

Ratchet was fast becoming proficient at the workings of the aircarrier's power system. Jock and the others had been involving the cub in the ins and outs of the ship and were very impressed that the boy was such a quick learner. At the moment he was taking a short break from his duties and sat on the steps that led to the upper levels of the room.

"I've noticed that you are a quick learner mon garcon," said Jock who leaned against a rail of the steps.

"This thing is amazing," the cub said as he spread his arms in a sweeping gesture, "This whole ship is amazing! There's so much to it, the engines, rotors, the bomb bay doors, all of the planes, the crew quarters, everything! This is a dream come true for me!"

Jock looked at the cub and smiled. The boy had his coveralls unzipped and had tied the arms around his waist in order to keep them from slipping off. He had his green bandana hanging from his scrawny neck and had cut the arms off of his undershirt in order to keep cool in the stiflingly hot engine room. A smear of grease streaked down the left side of his face and surgical bandages were wrapped around his injured wrist. To Jock, the boy was a comical sight, a kid playing at being a grown-up. "You are very enthusiastic about this Ratchet. I guess this is what you want to do as a living."

"Heck yeah! I've always been good at fixing things and building stuff. I haven't found anything that isn't _Ratchet-proof," _said the grinning cub.

"I take it you plan to stay with the crew the whole way instead of going back home," said the terrier who wondered if the boy would ever want to go back home. Maybe he had some family who he missed.

"Yup, forget the orphanage. This stuff is a whole lot more interesting to me!" said the boy.

_So the poor boy really has nothing to go back too, _thought Jock. "I don't blame you for not wanting to go back to the orphanage."

"No way, no how!" said the cub with a smile, "Besides, you guys are my family now!"

_The South Pacific, 30 September, 1919-_

The warm tropical air was a pleasant relief to the crew who had spent over a week in freezing temperatures. After being chilled to the bone, and almost going out of control in the high winds, Karnage now stood on the flight deck of the _Eisengeier _and looked out at the blue waters and the small islands that dotted them.

"My fellow crewmembers," he began to his men, "For over 150 years Karnages have sailed this ocean and have inspired fear and terror in the hearts of those they plundered. Mi familia lorded over these waters and struck fear into the hearts of those foolish enough to challenge us! My ancestor, Rafael Karnage, was the first of my great line of sea pirates. Now I, the fearless Don Kanrnage, stand ready to claim my rightful place as the greatest pirate in the world!" The wolf giggled manically and continued, "The reason that I, your great leader, have chosen to steal this ridiculously large ship is so I can be not only the world's greatest pirate, but also the world's first air pirate!" He spread his arms, as if to encompass the whole ocean, and went on, "The entire ocean will be mine for the plundering all mine! And you will stand by me as my valiant air pirates. We will use the CT-37s and we will strike terror into our prey. Soon we will arrive at Pirate Island and we will begin my glorious conquest of the seas! Do you have any questions? My door is always open sometimes."

Gibber went to Karnage's side and whispered something in his ear. Since the blow to his throat on the night of the hijacking, the once loud dog had been forced to communicate through whispers.

Karnage listened to Gibber then said, "Ah yes! There are only eight of us in total so I will be needing more pirates. Once we land at Pirate Island, I must find more brave souls to join me!"

"When are we due at Pirate Island?" asked Etienne.

"See that plume of smoke on the horizon?" said Karnage.

"Oui," answered Etienne.

"That is our destination," answered Karnage.

An hour later the crew arrived at their home: Pirate Island. Heavy fog, jagged rocks, and rough waves surrounded the island and volcanic smoke streamed up from the opening of a tall cinder cone volcano.

"Mon Dieu! Is that a volcano?" asked an incredulous Niemens.

"What better place for my lair?" asked a smiling Karnage.

"Whoa, that is awesome!" said Ratchet.

The _Eisengeier _put down on the waters and sailed toward the imposing landmass. It headed toward a large opening in the rock and to the giant cavern beyond. Karnage sailed the great ship to the shore of the inside bay, pulled on a lever, and let the beak of the ship open.

"Welcome to Pirate Island!" Karnage said.

The seven newcomers walked down the ramp behind their leader and gazed in wonder at the enormous hideout. Here and there were tunnels leading to a cave system that spread across the island. A few wooden buildings also lined water's rim.

Karnage took his first step on Pirate Island in over 10 years, knelt on the ground, and kissed it. "It is soooo wonderful to be back!"

"Uh, is anyone even here?" asked Guernon.

"No, the stupid anti-pirate types defeated my Grandfather and Father years ago. I was brought here once as a boy by my father Victor. He said to me, 'Son, this will be yours someday. It will be up to you to restore our noble family's name.' I now intend to do that," said Karnage.

The day after the group arrived at the island, they began the long task of fully repairing and modifying the _Eisengeier _and the CT-37s. Karnage gave Ratchet specific instructions to add a third wing to his own plane so that he could be set apart from his fellow pilots. Speaking of pilots, Karnage decided that he must soon leave Pirate Island in search on new members.

"Gibber, Jock, you two will stay behind here and continue to work with the others. I will take one of the SA-10s and will find my old squadron members. I will give them another chance to join me," said Karnage.

Gibber whispered into Karnage's ear.

"Yes Gibber, I will tell them of Shifty and Hernando so they will be inspired by their bravery and join me," said Karnage.

"Mon Capitaine, how long do you think you will be gone?" asked Jock.

"As long as it takes," replied Karnage.

"What if you are caught by the Gauls?" the terrier asked.

"I have survived the Great War, I hijacked this ship, and I evaded Jager and Miclette, there is no way that they will stop I, the Great Don Karnage!"

Two days later Karnage boarded the SA-10 and headed off in search of his old squadron.

_Zargrab, Klopstokia, January 7__th__, 1920-_

The two former members of Don Karnage's volunteer squadron met together for the first time in well over a year. They sat in the bar of a hotel in the capital of the small Republic of Klopstokia. The little nation had declared its independence a year earlier with the defeat and dissolution of the Ostro-Garian Empire at the end of the Great War.

"I guess none of the others are going to show," said Numbers who took a sip from a cup of coffee.

"Too bad, I was hoping to see the guys," answered Dexter who was one drink away from leaving tipsy to drunk.

"I don't blame the others for not coming," said Numbers, "I mean seriously, Karnage said he wants to reform the squadron and be what, pirates?"

The door to the bar opened, letting in a cold blast of air. A figure stood silhouetted in the doorway. "Greetings and salivations my fellow squadron member-types, it is I, your fearless leader Don Karnage!"

Both pilots looked at their old boss in amazement. "So you actually showed up," said Numbers, "I thought this was going to be a prank."

"Where is everyone else at?" asked the wolf as he sat down at a corner booth and motioned for the pilots to sit with him.

"We're it boss," said Dexter as he sat down with Karnage.

"None of the others could be reached," added Numbers.

"Then why did you two come?" asked Karnage, "I thought you were going back home," he said to Dexter, "And you were going to be an accountant," he said to Numbers.

"Home got boring fast, plus I, hiccup! Miss flying," said Dexter whose breath reeked of beer.

"I like accounting, but it's not exciting," said Numbers.

"Hmmmm, I have a proposition for you then," said Karnage who pulled a small cloth bag out of his pocket and set it on the table. The bag made a slight metallic sound. "Feast your eyes on this!" He opened the bag and spilled its contents on the table.

The two pilots watched in amazement as a bunch of gold coins clattered on the table.

"Where'd you get that?" asked Numbers, "Are those real?"

"They are real and there is more where they came from," said Karnage, "More riches than you can possibly imagine can be ours…if you join me."

"Join you?" asked the pair at the same time.

"Listen as I tell you a story…" Karnage said and recounted the events of the _Eisengeier's _hijacking, Shifty and Hernando's deaths in battle, Gibber's damaged voice, and their escape to Pirate Island.

Both pilots were saddened by the loss of their two former squadron members and the wounding of Gibber. At least he was alive though. The three of them drank to their fallen comrades and then got back to the business at hand.

"You were actually serious about this pirate stuff then?" said an amazed Numbers.

"I am most 100 percent very serious about it and I want you to join I in my endeavors," said Karnage.

"So will be stealing riches and flying?" asked Dexter.

"Riches beyond you most wildest, insignificant dreams, and yes you will be Air Pirates!" said Karnage.

"How many of us will there be?" asked Numbers.

"With you both, ten," answered Karnage.

"That's not a lot," said Numbers.

"Hey, I know, hiccup!, where we can, hiccup! Find some more," said Dexter who finished off his second pitcher of the young night.

"Excellemundo! You will introduce me to them yes no?" said Karnage.

_January 8__th__, 1920-_

Don Karnage stood in front of the four new volunteers and listened as Dexter described each one to him.

"All of them have flying experience and flew in the war. They're reliable pilots, but I warn you, they're not geniuses," said Dexter.

"We only need one genius and that will be I!" said Karnage, "Now tell me about these people."

"The big yellow cat on the end is Hal. He's tough and mean and he's actually fairly smart…ish," Dexter said who then moved to the next pilot, a hulking, crazy-eyed dingo. "They call this guy Hacksaw. He's really hyper, but he's great with explosives."

Hearing the word 'explosives', Hacksaw said in an insane voice, "Explosives? You got some?"

"Never mind Hacksaw," said Dexter who continued with the next pilot, a huge, muscular Great Dane. "This guy here," he pointed to the Great Dane, "This fella is built like a brick outhouse," Dexter lowered his voice and added, " Bout as smart as one too."

"He looks very mean," said Karnage.

"Oh he is. He's great for intimidation and beating things to a pulp," said Dexter.

"What do they call yourself," Karnage said as he looked at the Great Dane.

"Der, they call me Dumptruck," said the Great Dane.

"You look like the dumptruck," said Karnage.

"Thanks," said Dumptruck in a thick, Scandinavian accent.

They got to the last pilot, an emaciated-looking dog with a droopy mustache.

"This is Maddog, he doesn't look like much but he's a good pilot and very loyal," said Dexter.

"Listen pilots, soon you will be accompanying I on a quest for riches beyond anything you have ever imagined before. Join my noble group and we will become the greatest pirates in the world!"

_Pirate Island, February 11__th__, 1919-_

"Pirates, Iiiiiiiim hoooooome!" said Karnage as he stepped out of the SA-10 and greeted his men. "I have successfully gotten me 6 new pirates to add to my pirate army!"

The two groups introduced each other and Gibber and Ratchet warmly greeted Numbers and Dexter.

"Hey Gibber man, we heard about what happened to you…but we're glad you're OK," said Dexter.

"Yeah man, It'll take more than that to stop you," added Numbers.

Gibber smiled and whispered into Number's ear.

"Oh yeah, we're it. The others didn't show," said the dog in regards to the squadron's other members. "And it's a darn shame about Hernando and Shifty."

"Wow, the kid got a little taller," said Dexter as he pointed to Ratchet.

"Yes, but his voice is still the annoying, crackling, squeakiness," said Karnage.

"Boss!" Ratchet said embarrassed. As he said this, his voice went up into a high pitch causing everyone to laugh.

_February 20__th__, 1919-_

In the 9 days since he had returned to Pirate Island, Karnage had seen that much had been accomplished. The CT-37s were being repaired and modified, the aircarrier was being worked on, and plans were being made to search for more pirates. He had even led a raid on a ship that had gotten too close to the island for comfort. That heist had netted several hundred gallons of fuel. It was a small start to Karnage's reign of piracy. He was a little disheartened that his operation wouldn't be 100 percent underway for at least two more years as there was much work to do on the island as well as the aircarrier and planes. More modifications would need to be done, members recruited, and besides the aircarrier needed a paint job. He decided to replace that Reichland flag with skull and crossbones, but he still needed a name for his flagship.

"Jock, I want you to see to it that we change the name of this ship immediately," Karnage said to his chief engineer.

"What shall we call it Capitaine?" asked the scruffy terrier.

"We shall just translate _Eisengeier _from Reichlander," said Karnage.

"Which is?" asked Jock.

Karnage crossed his arms and looked proudly at the vessel, and said, "Iron Vulture."


	9. Epilogue

"_Life's pretty good, and why shouldn't it be? I'm a pirate after all"-Johnny Depp_

"And that mon garcon, is how Karnage got this fine lady and how the air pirates formed," finished Jock.

Kit just smiled in awe.

After hearing the story from Jock, Kit finished helping the terrier with his duties and then left the engine room. The bear cub walked through the quiet aircarrier's massive bay, down the beak-like ramp, and onto the deserted shore of the underground bay. It was late at night and most of the pirates had gone to bed. Only he, Jock, and maybe two of three others were still awake. Right now he practically had the run of the island. In a few minutes he reached his thinking spot which overlooked the ocean.

He imagined what is must've been like to had been with Don Karnage and the others when they hijacked their flagship and first started the Air Pirates. He imagined himself as part of that daring crew as Jock had recounted the story. The cub had seen and been through a lot since he ran away from Freeport, but he still longed for a life of adventure and excitement. Being an air pirate, despite its hardships, gave Kit the opportunities to live the adventurous life he had always dreamed of. He hadn't been a pirate for long, and it hadn't been a cakewalk, but he felt like he could belong here. He had everything he needed with the air pirates: a roof over his head, food, opportunities to show his skills to Karnage, everything he would need to succeed. His life wasn't bad. As a matter of fact, it was actually pretty good at the present, he felt like he had the world at his fingertips. He controlled his own destiny now.

Kit stared out over the dark waters, smiled, and said to the waves, "A pirate's life for me…"


End file.
